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I listened to your program this morning and it made me think of how obesity affects us in our lives.

I work with a man who is easily 550 lbs. if not more. He talks about how there are comments made about him when he is in public and how people stare at him. No one wants that kind of attention and I sympathize with him. When he talks about how he is picked on at work for not getting enough done and how our boss watches his every move, I draw the line. I have observed how his obesity has affected everyone in our work environment. Tasks take 3 times longer to do because he cannot move as quickly as an average sized person. He cannot stand for long periods of time, so uses a chair to maneuver himself around our work place. He calls in sick at least once a week, and often times sent home because of obesity related health issues (too disgusting to mention), thus in turn, others have to pick up his work load, putting a strain on the staff.

My husband and I have lived a healthy and active life. Unfortunately, my husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 44. When I mention that he has diabetes most people are surprised and then follow with "you guys eat so well and are very active!" Then I have to explain that he has type 1 and that is an autoimmune disease and that it was not caused by his life style. So, when I see my coworker, who is obese and type 2 diabetic, eat 2 breakfasts, 5 candy bars, 3 bags of chips (I'm not exaggerating), it infuriates me! He can or could have prevented this disease, my husband could not.

So with that, there is a rise in type 2 diabetes that correlates with the rise of obesity. How could obesity not put a strain on our insurance costs? It's not only the meds that cost money, but care. More then half the amputations being done in the states are because of diabetes. The stats on having a second amputation for a diabetic is 60% within 5 years after the first amputation. There are many other complications that go along with this disease, enough to scare you to a healthy life style.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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