The south in general has higher medication rates. “Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky and Missouri also have prescription drug-use rates well above the national average.”

My first question when I heard this, was what type of medicine are they taking? The answer is lisinopril, a high-blood pressure drug. West Virginians, not surprisingly, have higher rates of heart disease the rest of the country as well. The majority of the population, some seventy percent, are obese and over a quarter of them smoke.

Image: sxc.hu.

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West Virginia Most Medicated

The fact that diabetes is an expensive disease is not news to the diabetics of the world. Large out of pocket costs are something we struggle with every bit as much as managing our blood sugar.

A new study says that “75 percent of the $2.2 trillion the United States spends on healthcare goes toward treating chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.” Also, the more chronic conditions a person has, the more money is spent. “One chronic condition spent an average $655 out of pocket in 2005, while those with two chronic conditions spent $1,039, and those with three or more spent $1,865.”

This is important news for diabetics, especially because many of us do have two or more chronic conditions. It’s not only the stress of chronic disease but the costs that weigh upon us as well.

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Cost of Chronic Disease

Here’s some inspiration for us today. A quote by one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson:

“To undertake is to achieve.”

What this means to me as a diabetic is that simply making the decision to be healthy and take care of ourselves puts us ahead of the game. While diabetes may be a daunting thing when we first hear it or when we are first diagnosed, we can live well. We can live a positive life.

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Inspiration Quote from Emily Dickinson

If it’s one thing that really, really (REALLY) bugs me about diabetes, it’s the fact that people think you get it because you’re fat or you’re lazy or you’re out of shape. I think the sheer number of athletes that have gotten the disease should be an indication of how wrong that is, but some people are slow to “get it,” ya know?

I got Type 1 diabetes when I was in the best shape of my life. Here’s another story that will surprise you about who gets diabetes. Enjoy.

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Young and Pretty and Diabetic

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Kids: Drawing Diabetes