Lois told her boyfriend Nick all about her Type 1 diabetes from the start, meaning he knew just what to do when she had a huge hypo a few dates in.
Nick and Lois
I met my boyfriend on Tinder, and first mentioned that I had Type 1 diabetes in passing while we were chatting online. I then properly told him about it on our first date. I’m always pretty open with all things diabetes and I figured since we went out for drinks I’d need to be checking my blood sugars so it made sense to be open about it. He didn’t know much about diabetes but he wanted to learn about it and was very interested.
A few dates in, and we decided to go for a meal together. We were getting to know each other fairly well but it was still pretty early days and he hadn’t yet experienced even a minor hypo. We were having a great night and I ended up accidentally double dosing my insulin – one dose at the table, and one dose when I got home as I thought I’d forgotten.
This led to me having a huge hypo. I was slurring my words, sweating, swearing at him and refusing to take any sugar in. He was excellent and remembered from a previous conversation exactly what to do – including not to listen to anything I said when having a hypo. He made me drink juice and eat. As soon as my sugars came back up I felt so bad but thankfully he didn’t take it personally.
That whole night my sugar levels were difficult to manage so he woke up with me nearly every hour to help me test and treat them.
Now he’s a hypo genius and an absolute star. He helps me deal with my hypos, has learnt how to check my blood sugar and reminds me to check if I’m acting a bit weird. He knows what to do in an emergency and always makes sure we’re carrying an orange juice!
Life with Type 1 can mean extra planning to make sure I have everything I need to deal with a hypo. It does get annoying having to carry all my equipment around with us – especially when I stay over at his house – but I’ve done it for ten years so I just get on with it.
Type 1 has put us in situations as a couple that we wouldn’t have been through If I didn’t have diabetes. It’s not very often that the guy you’re dating has to pour orange juice into your mouth while you’re hypo-swearing at him! It meant he’s had to learn lots about me and, at times, I’ve had to trust that he can look after me.
My advice for anyone who has just started dating someone with Type 1 is to just be there and be supportive. Ask questions and be willing to learn about your partner’s diabetes. And understand that diabetes doesn’t make a person it’s just something that happens to come with them.
- We'd love to stay in touch with you – share your story and sign up to get our enewsletter here.
#TheOne
#TheOne campaign is all about sharing those moments we all go through when it comes to sex, dating and relationships with Type 1 diabetes.
Watch Fawn and Chesney's story
