Trying to figure out the numbers-how good can it get?

Hi,
I am new to the forum and have what are probably basic questions about the encore numbers and I guess what are the goals?
I have a Respiroics M Auto Bi-PAP set to 13/9 w/ humidifier set to 3 I have tried a quattro mask for 3 days and a liberty hybrid for two.
My initial Sleep study AHI was 60 and my AHI average over the first 5 days is at 5.5 with the lowest AHI being 2.9
My average leek rate with the Liberty (which is much more comfortable) is 44 with 0%LL
The average leak rate for the Quattro mask was 38% with a few large spikes but still 0%LL
Average compliance is 6.8 hours per night.
My question is what are the goals/ Am i tying to get the numbers (AHI) down to zero, or am I to assume anything lower than the 60AHI that I started with is a major improvement, and I should leave well enough alone?
Although I am feeling slightly more rested, I am still feeling tired. Is it just too soon to know how big of a difference the Bi-PAP therapy will make?
Brian

My question is what are the goals/ Am i tying to get the numbers (AHI) down to zero, or am I to assume anything lower than the 60AHI that I started with is a major improvement, and I should leave well enough alone?

See what happens after you've spent a week or two with the same mask. It might take a while for you to just get used to the therapy.

As a rule an AHI of 5 or below is cosidered OK - however, if you have an AHI of 5, and are still tired etc., it may be worth aiming for lower - though I wouldn't aim for 0 - its too rare.

Don't assume that "anything below 60 is a major improvement". Even 30 is considered severe OSA - not surprising, sinee it meana you stop breathing every 2 ,minutes.

O.

I aim for 0.0, I avg under 1.0 (0.7 really), and I make corrections and get mad if I go over 2.0... The secret to good treatment is a low leak rate, some masks and methods won't get you there. Jim

After having felt so bad for so many years, my body became accustomed to poor sleep, and an achy tired body due to limited O2 supply. I no longer knew what normal felt like so after my first night on the machine, I felt like Superman the next morning. Yet, during my first couple of months on the machine, my AHI was between 3 and 4.

Fast forward a year later and for the last 9 months my AHI is around 0.4 and I get a zero AHI about two or three times a week. However, I don’t feel like Superman anymore. Nevertheless I do feel much better than before I began treatment. When starting out, seeking that elusive zero AHI seemed very important to me. Once that was achieved, then the treatment became just a normal routine part of my life.

Some are satisfied never achieving the zero AHI because they too realize that they feel much better than before starting treatment. Everyone is different so there is no need to compete. Do what makes you feel good and not what stresses you out. Some folks have to be winners while others are content just playing the game … determine which you are and take it from there because in the end the result should be the same.

DreamStalker wrote: However, I don’t feel like Superman anymore. Nevertheless I do feel much better than before I began treatment.

Maybe the loss of the Superman feeling, is really due to how lousy you had felt before treatment. This problem sneaks up on us, in the DARK.

That may be why we feel so much better at the start of successful treatment. Some of us don't get that Superman feeling due to too many years of being exposed to Kriptonite. Jim

Goofproof wrote:

DreamStalker wrote: However, I don’t feel like Superman anymore. Nevertheless I do feel much better than before I began treatment.

Maybe the loss of the Superman feeling, is really due to how lousy you had felt before treatment. This problem sneaks up on us, in the DARK.

That may be why we feel so much better at the start of successful treatment. Some of us don't get that Superman feeling due to too many years of being exposed to Kriptonite. Jim

You need to get out of that kriptonite cave there Jim