AIBU to think people should take medical conditions more seriously?

[Basketballerr]

A fair few members of my family and some friends of mine have diagnosed medical conditions that have dietary changes included as part of treatment but they just seem to completely ignore this alot of the time.
For example diabetics who still regularly eat sugar/drink alot of alcohol and are careless with checking blood sugar and taking their insulin.
Celiac disease but will regularly eat gluten and not accidentally, I've witnessed them eating leftover toast from the kids etc then saying oops I'll pay for that later.
Acid reflux (as part of a wider diagnosis) which causes terrible pain if they eat late or eat certain foods and they still regularly eat those foods.
High cholesterol and given a low cholesterol diet that is completely ignored.
High blood pressure and told to stop smoking/drinking.
You get the idea.
I am not saying it's easy and as a person who does not have any of these conditions I cannot sympathise to how it feels but I lived with a diabetic who nearly died on several occasions due to not caring about what they ate and not doing their insulin. I get it's their business but at the same time I worry about them.
AIBU to think things like this should be taken more seriously!?

I've had diabetes for over 20 years, and the "advice" I've had from GPs, "specialist" diabetic nurses and dieticians has been pretty poor. Lots of conflicting "advice", some really stupid and wrong "advice". Over those years I've had lots of appointments, but most have been wasted/useless because they don't seem to know what they're talking about. When you aren't given proper advice/guidance, it's really hard to know what you should be doing. Even the basics, like diet advice is conflicting between them and some has been downright dangerous. There is also precious little help when your blood sugar levels are unusually/unexpectedly high or low - you just end up speaking to random nurses/GPs who aren't interested and just tell you to make an appointment with your usual nurse/GP, which could be weeks away. I got a referral to our practices' "specialist" diabetic GP a couple of years ago via one of a succession of practice nurses - I thought we were getting somewhere, but he literally just suggested I join a diabetics facebook page to share ideas with other diabetics! Another wasted appointment. At the end of the day, the GP surgery is only interested in ticking boxes to claim their extra money - weight check - tick, BP check - tick, foot test - tick, questionnaire asking the same questions every year (how much do you drink, how much exercise) - tick - kerrching, they just go through the motions and do as little as possible to get the extra money.

@lazylinguist

It's very easy to say that when you have no experience of it, OP. I am currently under investigation for coeliac disease and lactose intolerance. I imagine it will be very, very hard to give up all those foods forever, if I need to.

My only experience of similar was when I had to eat an extreme low fat diet for 8 months while awaiting gallbladder surgery. That wasn't hard willpower-wise, because the alternative was immediate, excruciating, childbirth-level agony. When the damage is more subtle and long-term (even if potentially serious), it must ve much much harder to maintain the willpower 24/7.

My dd has celiac and milk protein allergy. It's easier now than it was.

There are lots of things that are accidentally dairy free.

Eating out is the risky area

I agree with you OP. There are so many sanctimonious posters on Mumsnet who are ready to condemn anyone who is struggling mentally with lockdown or are unable for medical reasons to wear a face mask but happy to make excuses for people who can’t take responsibility for their own health. I have Type 1 diabetes, for me it’s not the total disaster that it is for some people. Diabetes support in my city is excellent, compared with other parts of the world where diabetes on a low income wage must be horrendous. I wouldn’t say my control is as perfect as it could be, but I’ve not lost any limbs yet. I found that after a while you get into a routine and I’ve accepted that it’s just a fact of my life. The Libre scanners are brilliant and we are very lucky to be able to access them free. I was also taught by my hospital diabetes clinic that you can eat whatever you want if you match your carbohydrates with insulin so for me, it’s not all that restrictive. I have no time for people with chronic medical conditions who don’t make the effort to help their conditions with lifestyle changes. It’s not easy, but it’s not fair on those you live with to not try. I would say that it’s selfish, but as that is one of the most overused lockdown words at the moment, I won’t say it.