My husband has had both a neck and lower back fusion.  Right now he sleeps in a recliner most of the time as he can only lay in our bed for about four hours before the pain is too much.  Currently we have a seven inch firm latex matress in a waterbed frame with two foam toppers.  One is 3 inch 3.3 pound viscoelastic memory foam topper and a 2 inch foamex resilitex medium.  We went looking at mattresses and the one so far that seemed most comfortable to him is the Tempur Pedic Bella Sonna because it seemed to feel the best on his pressure points.  However the price is really up there for that mattress. Is there anything out there such as different toppers that we could use to get the same effect the the Bella Sonna? 

Thank you for your help,

Emi

Hi Emi,

Your husband might want to try out an adjustable bed. It will allow him to sleep in a position similar to the one he is in on the recliner. We tested an adjustable bed at our local mattress store with a Tempurpedic mattress on it and it was amazing -- it made me feel as if I was floating. We didn't buy it as they are somewhat expensive and it's not something that we "need" at this point. But if I had back issues, I would definitely consider it.

The other thing I'm wondering about with your current set up, is that you have 5 inches of topper foam which might be too much. It may be negating the support of the firm latex below. Have you tried sleeping without the 3 inch piece of memory foam? We had a 2 inch memory foam topper that felt great when we first lay down on it, but by morning gave us serious back aches. We had to get rid of it.

You should also read read some posts by Lynn2006 who has found relief for her serious back problems with latex layers.

Good Luck,

Kim

Kim,

Thanks for your reply.  We added the second foam because the first wasn't enough.  I don't know if my husband tried the Tempurpedic adjustable bed or not.  I will have to ask him.  I know he is looking for something soft yet supportive for his pressure points.  I will check out Lynn2006 postings.

Thanks,

Emi

The Resilitex medium does not last long.  Don't keep it more than a year or two.  It noticeably softens, and can be very bad for your back (I speak from experience).  Foamex made a big mistake with Resilitex.

"Currently we have a seven inch firm latex mattress"

Do you have any details on that latex? Some companies might call a 28 ILD firm, but that would be far too soft as a base for the visco and foamex. My WAG would be that the temper beds use an HR approaching 50. I would also guess (complete guess) that the Sonna system uses a firm latex, and possibly zoned since would be much more supportive while you're building it that way.
With those injuries, is he a backsleeper? If so, definitely needs firmer base. Even if not, your setup still sounds way too soft. I just have normal over-the-hill, weekend warrior back issues which require support in hip area through custom zoning (and those are painful enough) so I really feel for someone with serious issues. Jim and Lynn have been dealing with complications of injuries. You should do some back-reading on their posts.
IMO you should strip the system down to the latex mattress, possibly even cutting off the cover so you're impacting just the latex (eliminating the possible trampoline effect), and build up from there. With your serious medical condition, I would use present materials to figure out what is required. I wouldn't buy a new mattress until I had that resolved. Also, regarding neck pain, I would give some serious attention to pillow depth. There are forums.
Good luck.

 Do you have any details on that latex? Some companies might call a 28 ILD firm, but that would be far too soft as a base for the visco and foamex. My WAG would be that the temper beds use an HR approaching 50. I would also guess (complete guess) that the Sonna system uses a firm latex, and possibly zoned since would be much more supportive while you're building it that way.
With those injuries, is he a backsleeper? If so, definitely needs firmer base. Even if not, your setup still sounds way too soft. I just have normal over-the-hill, weekend warrior back issues which require support in hip area through custom zoning (and those are painful enough) so I really feel for someone with serious issues. Jim and Lynn have been dealing with complications of injuries. You should do some back-reading on their posts.
IMO you should strip the system down to the latex mattress, possibly even cutting off the cover so you're impacting just the latex (eliminating the possible trampoline effect), and build up from there. With your serious medical condition, I would use present materials to figure out what is required. I wouldn't buy a new mattress until I had that resolved. Also, regarding neck pain, I would give some serious attention to pillow depth. There are forums.

Thanks MCCLDWLL

We have had it a while so I am not sure what the ILD is.  It is a firm latex mattress.  He is a back sleeper but with trying different firmness he seems to think that he needs it softer not firmer because of his pressure points.  How would I go about figuring out what I would need?  I don't understand what the ILD numbers mean.

Emi

MequonJim

Wow I didn't know that.  Thank you for the information.

Emi

Plug in as much info about the mattress as you can--age, price, 7" solid (dubious) or includes quilted cover, where purchased, manufacturer, materials tag, etc.--and people here should be able to determine what you might have and provide help. Also, are you dead certain it's latex, and not just a foam mattress?

Plug in as much info about the mattress as you can--age, price, 7" solid (dubious) or includes quilted cover, where purchased, manufacturer, materials tag, etc.--and people here should be able to determine what you might have and provide help. Also, are you dead certain it's latex, and not just a foam mattress?

Please provide as much of the info requested as possible.

Washington Post 3/18/08

Long article on importance of pillows for alignment,