Encore viewer shows erratic AHI

[newguy]

Hi,

Been using CPAP fixed at 5 cm for more than a year now, based on my initial sleep study, which showed moderate OSA. My local primary care doctor just moved and a sleep doctor is 2 hours away. Just got Encore Viewer because of several worries, including days when I feel fine and days when I am very sleepy, but also some fluctuation in AHI (based on the weekly average displayed on the LCD). I'm a mouth breather and I use tape, which seems to work well to prevent leaks.

All I have is the first week from using this with the Encore Viewer. My question is--do my numbers seem OK, or is there reason for concern? I don't know how to post the report pages, so here is a summary of main patterns:
1. mask leak rate at 5 cm is rated at 21 L/min. and the reported average leak rates are 26-33, which seems OK. Most are below 30. Large leaks are completely absent.
2. AHI, though ranged from 1.5 to 18.3, with some 16s and 9s, as well as some 3s. Average for the week is about 7. The OAs are often about half the Hs. I often in the past have averaged close to 5 for AHI over a week, but seldom much below. Is this large day-to-day variation common?
3. At this point, it seems that the AHIs are related to how sleepy I feel the next day, but it's not a perfect relationship, as I have been sleepy after a night with an AHI of 4, for example.
4. Nights when the apneas were abundant often had them in clusters lasting a half hour to an hour and these were followed by increased leak rates, up to 50 or so. Is this unusual?
5. Nothing much apparent in other numbers, as NR, FL, and VS are nearly always near 0.0.

At one point before I got Encore Viewer, I tried increasing the pressure to a fixed 6 and then 7 cm for a few days, but the average AHI went up.

Anyhow, I may go see a sleep doctor again, but thought that the perspective of others might be useful. Is there reason for concern or are these patterns common?