Guys I got a brick.

[richac]

Right from the DreamStation user manual. Based on the last sentence, doesn't look like you can view AHI on the standard Dreamstation.  

AHI
This screen displays the nightly Apnea/Hypopnea indices (AHI) value for the most
recent 1 day time frame. It also displays the average of these individual nightly
AHI values over a 7 day and a 30 day time frame. This screen only displays if your
home care provider has enabled it.   This screen only displays if your
home care provider has enabled it. Only available on CPAP Pro and Auto CPAP
devices.

there you have it.  tks. was about to say any respironic models 260 and up I read on dreammapper. but now there's proof.

[richac]

I just went into provider mode and looked for AHI. It isn't on there. The only thing you can do is adjust the pressure pretty much. I just left it at my prescribed 14. Will my doctor be able to tell I went into provider mode? I don't want to do anything illegal.

You can buy these in consumer market as medical equipment so I doubt its "illegal".  Doctor might see it though if she look at the usage data where it shows pressure lol.  On this site they don't recommend you change it more then .5 without doctor approval for safety reasons probably.

[eseedhouse]

If she asks why I was in provider mode, I will tell her I was tinkering with it and accidentally hit the wrong buttons.

I'd tell her to mind her own business.

My DME told me how to get into "clinician" mode when I got the machine.  When I showed them my SleepyHead graphs they were pleased with how much more the showed than the Redmed software.

Your body, your machine, your business.  I regard my DME and my Doctor as consultants who know stuff I don't and whose advice should certainly be listened to and mostly followed, but the final decision is mine, not theirs.

[UKwildcatfan]

Does usage time for compliance count only when you are asleep? Or does the time you are breathing with the machine before you fall asleep count too?

[Hydrangea]

 I don't want to do anything illegal.

It is NOT illegal for you to mess with any and all settings on the machine. (They may try to tell you otherwise, but it's just an intimidation tactic.)

If she asks why I was in provider mode, I will tell her I was tinkering with it and accidentally hit the wrong buttons.

Or just say "I am proactive in my health."

Does usage time for compliance count only when you are asleep? Or does the time you are breathing with the machine before you fall asleep count too?

Any time counts where you have the mask on and the blower turned on. The only exception (as far as I know) is if you're doing Check Mask Fit. But if they turned off the ability for you to see your AHI, then I'm sure they didn't enable that function either.

So yeah, when you're wearing the mask and you've turned the machine on, that counts as your compliance time.

[Wrz77]

Yeah definitely not illegal.

A shame about the brick though. I went in blind not knowing Auto was the best but at least lucked out with the middle range Pro model which at least does offer a 30 day Auto mode that, perhaps, can be used indefinitely if you keep changing the number of days before you use it 30 days so it keeps resetting the A-Trial usage counter to 0 and doesn't ever hit the limit.

Note: The brick model lacks A-Trial though.

You might luck out one day with a modified firmware file for your brick that basically converts it into a Pro or Auto model. Now using unauthorized firmware would void the warranty, but still wouldn't be illegal. However, modified firmware for the DreamStation series does not yet exist. I plan to take a stab at reverse engineering the firmware some day when I have moved on to a ResMed machine - I may try to create an open source alternate firmware for it or modify the existing firmware in a disassembly application. In MOST cases, the ONLY differences between Auto, Pro, and baseline are in the firmware. The hardware is the exact same -- it is the firmware that intentionally cripples features on the CPAP and baseline models. They use the same hardware components from what I have read.

Many machines do differ on a hardware level between SV, BiPAP, CPAP though. So my dream of one day creating a firmware that opens up all those modes on a single machine is not feasible unfortunately.

I believe strongly in reverse engineering to liberate electronics from manufacturer control and giving unlimited control to the end user. This happens with mobile phones, videogame consoles, networking appliances, and more. I'd like to see it happen with medical devices too.

There IS a budding community that builds their own xPAP devices with a Raspberry Pi or similar System-on-Chip controller connected to a blower and circuits to generate the graph metadata like a data capable xPAP. However, it WOULD be illegal for those to be sold to people (at least in the U.S.) since it would incur the wrath of the FDA -- but they COULD sidestep FDA regulations by saying 'For educational use only - not intended to treat any disease' However that is still many years away from becoming mature enough to the point of people being able to buy cheap homebrew xPAP devices. They could also avoid FDA wrath by selling the theoretical homebrew device as non-functional until firmware is applied to it -- which would be hosted on a different website than the one selling the hardware.

[UKwildcatfan]

I layed there 2 hours last night with it on, the pressure is so high the mask is leaking. I can't sleep with this thing. I am a lifetime stomach sleeper and I cannot sleep on my back. I'm returning it today and giving up.

[C0mbe]

UK- It can take quite a while for some to get used to the pressures.  The first thing I would suggest is that you take a sleep aid like zzzquil (non-habit forming) to help you fall asleep.  The second is to try and take care of the leaks. What kind of mask are you using?   Check out Bonjour's Mask Primer on the wiki.  It has a lot of helpful tips for fitting masks correctly.  

Lastly, I would try to download Encore 2.2 from this LINK.  If the AHI is readable, you should be able to see it using this software.  Most docs use either Encore Pro or Encore Anywhere.

[Sleepster]

I'm returning it today and giving up.

Have you notified your next of kin?

[UKwildcatfan]

I can't sleep with th damn thing on. I did get my 4 hours on it in tho. Idk if it counts or not cause it wasn't sleep thought. But I got the magic 4 hours of daily use.