Relationships + T1D: Your Devices Don't Make You Less Beautiful

Disclaimer: While I am a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist with Type 1 Diabetes myself, this blog post is not intended as medical advice. I'm sharing from my personal experience and professional knowledge, but your diabetes management should always be discussed with your healthcare team. What works for me or others may need to be adjusted for your unique situation.

Valentine's Day Is Coming

And if you have Type 1 Diabetes, you might be feeling some type of way about it.

Maybe you're in a relationship and wondering if your partner really understands what they signed up for. Maybe you're single and terrified that no one will want to deal with your CGM alarms, your pump sites, your lows at 2am.

Maybe you've already been in relationships where someone made you feel like a burden. Where they rolled their eyes when your CGM beeped. Where they acted annoyed when you needed to eat before going low. Where they made comments about your devices.

Maybe you've hidden your pump under your clothes on dates. Maybe you've taken off your CGM before intimacy because you felt self-conscious. Maybe you've apologized for your diabetes more times than you can count.

If that's you, I need you to hear this:

Your CGM does not make you less beautiful. Your pump does not make you less desirable. Your diabetes does not make you less worthy of love.

And honestly? The right person won't just tolerate your diabetes. They'll see how strong you are because of it.

But the wrong person? Diabetes will expose them faster than anything else.

Let me explain.

The Lie We've Been Told

Somewhere along the way, a lot of us with Type 1 Diabetes internalized this lie: that we're damaged goods. That we're harder to love. That we're a burden.

Maybe it was a comment from a family member. Maybe it was a partner who couldn't handle it. Maybe it was just the weight of managing this 24/7 and feeling like it makes us "too much."

But here's the truth: You are not too much. You are not broken. You are not less than.

You're someone who manages an invisible, relentless condition every single day while also living your life. That's not a flaw. That's strength.

Your CGM? That's technology keeping you alive and thriving. Your pump? That's a tool that gives you freedom. Your diabetes? That's part of your story, not the whole story.

And anyone who can't see past the devices to the incredible person wearing them? They're not your person.

How Diabetes Weeds Out the Wrong People

Here's something I've learned after 13 years of living with Type 1 Diabetes and watching hundreds of clients navigate relationships:

Diabetes is one of the best filters for finding out if someone is actually worth your time.

Think about it. Diabetes doesn't take a day off. It doesn't care if it's Valentine's Day, your anniversary, or the first date you've been excited about in months. It's always there.

And how someone responds to that reality tells you everything you need to know about them.

Red Flags (Run, Don't Walk)

They make you feel guilty for managing your diabetes:

• Sighing when your CGM beeps
• Complaining when you need to eat to treat a low
• Acting annoyed when you have to check your blood sugar or take insulin
• Making you feel like you're interrupting their life with your medical needs

They police your food choices:

• "Should you be eating that?"
• "Is that good for your diabetes?"
• Acting like they know better than you what you should or shouldn't eat
• Making comments about carbs, sugar, or what you're putting on your plate

They don't respect your boundaries around diabetes:

• Touching your devices without asking
• Making jokes about your diabetes that aren't funny
• Telling other people about your diabetes without your permission
• Minimizing your experiences with "at least it's manageable" or "it could be worse"

They make it about them:

• "I'm tired of your alarms waking me up"
• "Your diabetes is stressing me out"
• Making you comfort them about your own medical condition
• Acting like your diabetes is happening to them, not you

If someone shows you these red flags? Believe them. They're not going to get better. They're not going to suddenly become supportive. They're showing you who they are.

And you deserve better.

Green Flags (This Is What Love Looks Like)

They learn about your diabetes without making it weird:

• They ask questions because they genuinely want to understand
• They learn what a low feels like for you and how to help
• They keep snacks in their car, their house, their bag - just in case
• They remember your endo appointments and ask how they went

They see your devices as part of you, not a problem:

• They don't flinch when they see your pump site
• They think your CGM is cool, not ugly
• They ask if it's okay to touch your devices, and respect your answer
• They notice when you get a new sensor and ask if you need help applying it

They support you without taking over:

• They offer to help but don't assume they know better than you
• They trust you to manage your diabetes
• They back you up when other people make ignorant comments
• They see you as capable, not fragile

They make space for diabetes without making it the center of everything:

• They plan dates with your diabetes in mind (not scheduling dinner at 10pm when you're already low)
• They're patient when plans change because of blood sugar
• They don't make a big deal out of it when you need to pause for diabetes stuff
• They see you as a whole person, not just someone with diabetes

This is what you deserve. This is what love looks like when someone actually gets it.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

When I was first diagnosed, I was terrified no one would ever want to date me. I thought my diabetes made me less attractive, less fun, less desirable.

I hid my pump. I tried to make my diabetes invisible. I apologized constantly. I minimized my needs. I made myself smaller.

And you know what? It didn't work. People either saw me and my diabetes as a package deal, or they didn't. And the ones who didn't? They weren't my people anyway.

The turning point for me was when I stopped apologizing and started expecting support.

I stopped hiding my devices. I started being upfront about my diabetes on dates. I stopped shrinking.

And here's what happened: the wrong people filtered themselves out immediately. And the right people? They showed up differently.

I wish someone had told me:

• You're not asking for too much when you need support
• The right person will see your diabetes and think "how can I help?" not "this is inconvenient"
• Your devices are part of you, and anyone who loves you will love all of you
• Diabetes is not a character flaw. It's a medical condition. And it doesn't define your worth.

For the People Who Love Someone with Type 1 Diabetes

If you're reading this and you love someone with T1D, here's what I want you to know:

Your person is managing something incredibly hard. Every single day. Every single meal. Every single night. They're doing math in their head constantly. They're making decisions that could literally save their life. And they're doing it while also trying to live normally.

That's exhausting. And they probably don't talk about how exhausting it is because they don't want to be a burden.

So here's how you can show up for them:

Ask how you can help. Not in a condescending way. In a genuine "I want to support you, what do you need?" way.

Learn the basics. Know what a low feels like. Know what to do in an emergency. Know where they keep their glucagon. It matters.

Don't make it about you. If their CGM alarm wakes you up at 2am, remember that it woke them up too. And they're the one who has to deal with it. Be patient.

See their strength. They're not fragile. They're not broken. They're managing a relentless condition and still showing up for life. That's badass.

Defend them. When someone makes an ignorant comment about diabetes, shut it down. When someone asks "can you eat that?" you can step in. They need to know you've got their back.

This isn't about being a hero. It's about being a partner. And trust me, it means everything.

The Community That Gets It

Here's the thing about relationships and Type 1 Diabetes: sometimes the hardest part isn't finding a romantic partner. It's finding anyone who actually understands.

Friends who don't roll their eyes when you need to eat before going low. Family who don't police your food choices. A community of people who get the 2am alarms, the glucoaster, the mental load.

That's what the membership is about.

Yes, you're getting pre-bolusing strategies and carb ratio testing and insulin timing. But you're also getting a space where you don't have to explain yourself. Where people understand what it's like to live with this 24/7.

The waitlist is open now, and doors open in March.

When you join as a founding member, you'll get:

Immediate access when doors open:

• Pre-Bolusing Course: The foundation for understanding insulin timing (this alone changes everything)
• Downloadable guides, logs, and tools
• Private community access where people actually get it

Coming in April:

• Carb Ratio Testing Course: So you stop guessing and start knowing

Every month after that:

• New mini-courses on exercise, restaurants, travel, the 42 factors, and more
• Monthly live Q&A calls where you can ask about YOUR life, YOUR diabetes, YOUR situations
• A community that doesn't make you feel like you're too much

Founding members pricing: This is a special price that will go up after we hit a certain number of members. Once you're in, your price is locked forever.

It's less than what most people spend on coffee per week. And it's designed for real life. For your life.

Join the waitlist HERE

The waitlist gets first access when doors open in March, plus some bonuses I'm not sharing publicly yet.

You Deserve More Than Tolerance

Here's what I want you to take away from this:

You don't need someone to tolerate your diabetes. You need someone who sees all of you, including your diabetes, and chooses you anyway.

You don't need to hide your devices or apologize for managing a medical condition. You need people who make space for your needs without making you feel guilty.

You don't need to shrink or minimize or make yourself smaller. You need to take up space and know you're worth it.

Your CGM does not make you less beautiful. Your pump does not make you less desirable. Your diabetes does not make you less worthy of love.

And anyone who makes you feel otherwise isn't your person.

The right people will show up for you. The right people will see your strength. The right people will make you feel loved, supported, and seen.

And in the meantime? You have a whole community waiting for you in the membership.

Valentine's Day Reminder

Whether you're single, in a relationship, married, dating, or somewhere in between:

You are not too much. You are not broken. You are not a burden.

You're managing something incredibly hard while also living your life. That makes you strong. That makes you capable. That makes you someone worth knowing.

And the right people, romantic or not, will see that.

So this Valentine's Day, I want you to do something for me:

Look at your CGM or your pump. Look at the devices that keep you alive and thriving. And instead of seeing them as flaws, see them as proof.

Proof that you show up every single day. Proof that you're doing something most people couldn't handle. Proof that you're stronger than you give yourself credit for.

You're not less than. You're more than.

And you deserve love, support, and community that reflects that.

Join the WAITLIST

You're not alone in this. And you don't have to be.