Navigating risks of diabetes following a spinal cord injury coming July 27
Long term spinal cord injury (SCI) and diabetes? Some research suggests the two go hand in hand with as many as 20% of spinal cord injured people having adult-onset diabetes. For people with spinal cord injury, recognizing symptoms can be difficult because changes to the body after SCI may make it difficult to identify. For example, using a catheter may make it difficult to identify “excessive urination” and some of the other symptoms could be a side effect of certain medications. Which is why we’re happy to announce that on Tues., July 27th at 5 p.m. PST, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Shelley Wood, will host a presentation tackling this important topic that requires the SCI community’s attention. You can register to attend this virtual presentation HERE.
Shelley’s presentation will start by describing what exactly is diabetes. Many of her patients have not received a proper explanation of what it actually is, so she’ll address that. Next, Shelley will cover the risk factors associated with it (genetics, weight) and will dive into details about managing glycemic control with diet, specifically the role of carbs in managing good blood glucose control. She’ll review the importance of actually eating carbs and fiber for good management of diabetes as well as the hypo (low) and hyper (high) blood sugar and managing that.
It’s very important to understand that after a SCI. the body may quickly lose muscle while gaining fat, especially if not physically active. This is enough to change metabolism and the way the body is able to use insulin. This change can put a person at greater risk for developing diabetes than before a spinal cord injury. Since recognizing symptoms early makes a big difference, speaking with your doctor about your risk for diabetes is important.
This presentation is part of our continuing “NorCal SCI Presents: Virtual is the New Reality Series” funded thanks to the generosity of our donors and you must register in advance to attend. Once you register, you will immediately receive a confirmation e-mail from us which you should keep for access information to the virtual event.
Shelley is a lifelong advocate of nutrition. When she isn’t working with her patients, she can be found in her greenhouse or kitchen. She obtained her B.S. in Nutritional Science from San Jose State University in 2012 and has been working at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, one of the top spinal cord injury rehabilitation hospitals in the country, since 2013. She currently works in the outpatient clinic of the hospital seeing primarily those with SCI and also spends time working with complex GI issues in the outpatient gastroenterology clinic.
EDITOR’S NOTE: You may also enjoy reading this New Mobility article on this topic HERE.