Many Coloradans will spend Thanksgiving enjoying food and football, surrounded by loved ones. Unfortunately, more people than usual will end up visiting an emergency room from Thanksgiving-related illness and injury. But, ER doctors are ready to help. "Were here 24/7, 365 days a year. If you are worried you're having an emergency, please come to the emergency department. Don't put it off. You can often end up much more ill than you would have been,"Dr. Rebecca Kornas, the emergency room medical director at AdventHealth Avista in Louisville, said.Even though injury and illness can spike on Thanksgiving, Dr. Kornas said the emergency room at her hospital typically isn't that busy. It's the days following that see an influx of patients. "For the most part, it's a little bit quieter in the emergency department on a holiday, but the day after a holiday, or particularly the Monday after a holiday weekend, we'll see a large surge of people that were like, 'I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine,'" Dr. Kornas said. Dr. Kornas sees similar injuries and illness each year. "There are certain things that just happen every year, and there are themes. So it's true, there's a reason that we bring it up every year, because this might help one more person to not get injured," Dr. Kornas said. Creating the perfect meal can bring just as much joy as it can stress. That can make things a bit hectic in the kitchen. "Doing one thing at a time is really important, inattention and trying to do something else while you're cutting leads to problems," Dr. Kornas said. "We're dealing a lot with ovens, so making sure you've got good mitts for that, watching corners, keeping the pans kind of turned so that the handles are not sticking out. Keeping kids and pets out of the kitchen is a great idea." Dr. Kornas sees much more than just cuts and burns. Overindulging can also lead to problems. "Gravy, dressing, these things have a lot of salt in them, and that sodium load leads to some fluid retention. Pay attention to your portions, and remember what you normally eat, and realize that if that changes now, you might hold on to that extra fluid," Dr. Kornas said. "Some people that don't have as well functioning kidneys or hearts will hold onto that fluid and lead to heart failure, shortness of breath, troubles that do show up a couple days later." Like many, Dr. Kornas ran a turkey trot Thursday morning which reminded her the importance of warming up before a race or a backyard football game. "We see a lot of weekend warrior type injuries, of people that are like, I did this when I was in my 20s, and it was fine, but once you're in your 30s and 40s, and thereafter, it gets a little bit more challenging," Dr. Kornas said. And all of these risks can be heightened by drinking alcohol. "It's a time where sometimes people are under stress and they self medicate with alcohol in stressful situations. So just being cognizant that when you're having any alcohol, you don't get behind the wheel," Dr. Kornas said. If you take one piece of advice from Dr. Kornas, it's this:"We want to make sure that if you don't need to be in the emergency department, or that we can prevent it, you stay home. Because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." ER doctors give advice on how to avoid Thanksgiving mishaps