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Diabetes has become an epidemic throughout the world with about 24 million individuals battling the disease in the United States alone.  Diabetes has been on the rise for decades and more recently researchers have been discovering ways to control symptoms and help individuals who have not gotten the disease – many who are pre-diabetic – avoid ending up with diabetes at all.

One of the most serious and consistent issues regarding diabetes is that most individuals who end up with the disease are obese, often morbidly obese.  Sometimes it is a case of which came first…

I had two aunts with diabetes.  One aunt was slim, trim and active and you would never have known she had diabetes unless she told you so.  No matter what she did, she could not control it without insulin.  Even though she watched her diet and got regular exercise, she had to work hard to control her symptoms.  She lived a long and active life.

The other aunt always had problems with weight for as long as I can remember.  There were times when she was slimmer than others, but she had a very difficult time dealing with and controlling the symptoms of her diabetes.  She stayed on a strict diet at times, but at other times she would have foods that were detrimental to her.  As a result, she struggled with her diabetes constantly.

It didn’t matter that one was slim and one battled with her weight, they both suffered the effects of diabetes.  The one thing that stood out to me was that my aunt who was heavier had a harder time and ended up over the years with severe eye and kidney problems, had to go on dialysis in her later years and eventually had a harder and harder time controlling cuts – even though she was careful – but eventually had to have her leg amputated.

The end came painfully for that particular aunt.  She got a small cut and infection on her toe.  They could not control the infection and within three days it had spread throughout her foot and up her leg.  She resisted amputation.  She had told me some years earlier that if it ever came to that, she would lose the will to live.  The amputation took place right above the knee.  I was with her in the hospital before and afterward.  At one point she leaned over and said in a hushed voice so that no one else could hear, “I’m not going to make it through this, you know, but it’s all right.  I’ve had a pretty good life.  I love you very much.”

We sat holding hands for a long time and I knew that was the last time I would see her alive.  She died a week later.

Part of the problem with her diabetes was her weight.  It led to high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, kidney problems, eye problems, infections and eventually amputation and death.  The doctors said that her problems with obesity made it more difficult to control her symptoms and avoid the other problems.  The slim aunt never suffered all the other health issues.

It is essential that individuals with – or without – diabetes keep their weight under control the best that they can.  Studies through the University of Chicago have recently estimated that even if the number of individuals in the United States who are dealing with obesity stays the same, the number of individuals with diabetes will double within 25 years.  As a result medical expenses will nearly triple partially because of the side effects and partially because of the disease itself.

So whether it is a case of which came first, the answer is that it doesn’t matter.  We – as individuals and as a nation – need to talk to our doctors or healthcare professionals.  We need to watch our weight and if we need to control it better we need to get the information to do so.  We also need to have our blood glucose (sugar) tested so that we know whether or not we have diabetes or may be pre-diabetic.  We will then be able to take the steps to combat this disease individually and collectively and help avoid the $113 billion it will take to treat diabetes now and the over $330 billion it will take in the future to deal with diabetes and the other health issues that can come as a result of the disease.