When I started on Dexcom’s G4, I lowered my high alarm from 180 mg/dL to 160 mg/dL. While it’s been a small journey trying to adjust to the increased frequency of alarms, I think I’m finally starting to notice a positive trend.

Not perfect, but better.

When I get it right, my time spent above 160 is not significant over a 24-hour period. Of course this statement comes with the huge “IF”, because I have had many adventures into the upper 200s for hours on end, but I’m here to focus on the good side of blood glucose control. So let’s stay positive here.

High alarm. Test. Correct. Low alarm. Test. Treat. This is the routine. Sometimes it’s exercised over a 6-hour period. Sometimes it’s over a half hour. But when I follow these steps, more time is bound to be spent in between my alarm threshold rather than outside of it. This picture is (something resembling) proof of that notion.

And more importantly, when I get it right we’re talking about time spent above 160 mg/dL. Not 180. Not 200. This might be the most important improvement in my control. My objective isn’t to eliminate highs – I’m not that ambitious. Yet. Right now my focus is on minimizing the time spent out of range. Accepting highs and diligently treating them is a much better prescription for my sanity than obsessing and raging each time I get two slow buzzes from my G4.