The Little Diabetes Problems Are Never Really Little

There are some parts of type 1 diabetes that sound so minor when you say them out loud.

A sensor starts peeling at the edge. A pump site doesn’t stay put. A patch lifts after swimming, sport, sweat, or just a few ordinary days of being attached to an actual human body.

None of that sounds dramatic. But anyone living with type 1, or caring for someone who is, knows those “small” problems have a way of becoming big ones very quickly.

Because it’s never just about a patch coming loose.

It’s the frustration of having to think about it at all. It’s the cost of replacing tech early. It’s the irritation of something else demanding your attention when diabetes has already taken enough.

That’s part of what makes Not Just a Patch feel relatable. This is a company that began because its founder, Pete Lomas, was dealing with exactly that problem himself. He lives with type 1 diabetes, and has shared that swimming and yoga kept loosening his sensor, to the point where the stress of it started creeping into everyday life. So he started experimenting with his own makeshift fixes, testing materials and adhesives until Not Just a Patch was born at his kitchen table in Sydney.

Not Just a Patch founder Pete Lomas

I think that origin story matters, because it helps explain why the products seem to be built around real life, not ideal life. Their patches are designed for the kinds of conditions people with type 1 actually deal with: heat, sweat, swimming, movement, humidity, busy days and bodies that don’t sit still. The company says they tested them through hot Aussie summers, beach swims and sweaty workouts, which feels very different from designing something in theory and hoping it works in practice.

There are also a couple of thoughtful details that suggest they really understand the problem they’re trying to solve. One is the non-stick centre, which means the patch can be removed or changed without pulling directly on the sensor itself. Another is the focus on breathable, hypoallergenic materials, because for a lot of people, keeping a device on is only half the battle. The other half is having something on your skin day after day without it becoming a whole new problem.

We’re grateful to Not Just a Patch for sponsoring our T1 Bootcamp workshops. Their support helps us keep creating spaces where people can build knowledge, confidence and connection.

Because in the type 1 world, support does not always have to look dramatic.

Sometimes it looks like education. Sometimes it looks like community.

And sometimes it looks like a product designed by someone who understands why the “little” things matter.

As a Tribe Talk reader, you can get 10% off your next Not Just a Patch order by using the code T1DCAMP10