Mattresses

[ScoliGirl81]

Does anyone have any recommendations for mattresses and/or special pillows that have proved helpful after fusion? I am several years post-op, but I know the mattress I have now isn't working for me, and I think I need a different pillow, too. I'm only 26, but I feel like I'm 86, especially after getting out of bed!

[Susie*Bee]

You poor thing! A good bed is a must, but some can be really expensive. Mine is probably middle of the road--and if you shop around you can find good deals. I think there are mattress sales in January, if that helps. I have felt so comfortable and refreshed with mine. It's a Stearns and Foster, but I don't remember the model. It is firm but has a quilted top for a little softness. It is the higher style, which makes it just the right level for me to sit on the side and have my feet rest comfortably on the floor. Then I just swing my legs up and do my log roll. Good luck! You need a good night's sleep!

[loiskerr]

Matress

TemraPedic! I love that bed. They have many price ranges. I also use there pillows. Little pricey but the best bed ever. Lois

[rosie1108]

Beds?

Thanks, I need to buy a new mattress too, I got my bed AND mattress on craigslist for $50 total... you can imagine.

My bed is a loft (it is at least 6 feet off the ground) and I have to climb up a ladder to get in and out, do you think that will be a problem 2-3 months post op?

I am going to be staying with my parents in seattle for the first few months, probably sleeping in either a temperpedic foam bed or the sleepnumber kind, so that should be fine.

do you think ladders are ok a few months out?

thanks,
Rosie

[briarrose]

Since I couldn't afford a new mattress, I bought a memory foam pad to go on top of my mattress. I think I paid about $160 for a 2 inch thick one. It's helped me tremendously. I don't wake up in pain anymore.

[ScoliGirl81]

Rosie,

Climbing a ladder 2-3 months post-op is really going to depend on a few things, mainly your age and physical fitness level before the surgery. Within 8 weeks of my surgery, I was carrying around twin toddlers, climbing stairs and doing almost everything I did before the surgery. I was in my early twenties at the time and I was in excellent physical health. I think if I had the surgery today, I would not recover nearly as quickly.

Also, your center of gravity changes after surgery, so your balance might be off a while. I would be super careful climbing, but if you think you can do it and your doc says it's okay I would give it a shot. But you might want to have a backup just in case! Good Luck!

[Susie*Bee]

Rosie-

It probably also depends on your loft and where it is. I know the one my daughters used in college had the rungs at the edge of the loft (at the ends, as you face the loft, rather than in the middle) and then you would have to sort of twist when you got to the top, to climb onto the bed. There was like a nightstand/board in the middle area between the two beds. And depending on ceiling height, there isn't a heck of a lot of room to sit up and move around once you're up there. Being as young as you are, you might be able to manage, but then again, it might really be easier to come up with a solid Plan B... Good luck!

[HGD24]

Sleep Number - love, love, love ours!!!!! Being able to change the firmness whenever you want is the best! Even my husband finds it great for days when he might overdo it playing sports or working around the house.

[JoAnn5]

I just got a new memory foam mattress and slept on it for the first time last night.... aaaahhhhhhhhhh relief!!!!!!!!

I bought it online (PM me if u want details) and only paid 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of a Tempurpedic from a local mattress store. It fluffed up to 14 inches of firm but soft height. I topped it with a thick mattress pad to prevent the heat that i heard mentioned here earlier.... Used my existing box springs.... Slept heavenly!!!

First time in a long time that hubby woke up without a headache too.

[Alma in Alaska]

A good mattress

I am new here but have used memory foam mattress. It is different than regular foam. The memory foam molds to your curves but yet stays ferm,like sleeping on a firm cloud. Ieven got a memory foam matress topper and folded it three times and put it in a large pillow case than I can carry it to different chairs and it makes almost all chairs feel comfortable. Another trick I found was these rubber pads that people who do gardening kneel on when working down in the ground make good little pads to carry with you to put in different chairs you may have to sit in.You can find some cute ones ,I found one with a lady bug on it which was real cute.If you need any more information on memory foam send me a message.

[txmarinemom]

I LOVE my 2" memory foam topper, and it's a great alternative to the expense of a memory foam mattress.

(... that said, if I could, I'd have one - LOL ... I'm "that person" who won't get off the Tempurpedic type beds in the mattress stores. "Go HOME, Pam ... you KNOW we close at 9:00 p.m.!" ;-)

[CHRIS WBS]

I bought a new mattress to replace my 13-year-old Serta and it was delivered on Saturday. My choice was narrowed down to a Stearns & Foster and a Simmons Beauty Rest with a latex pillow top. After repeatedly testing both mattresses in the store, I chose the Simmons. It’s very comfy, but on top of the box springs it’s quite high. I have to climb onto it. I’m concerned that I will have a problem getting in and out of bed following surgery. From the floor the top of the mattress measures 31 inches. I have 30 days if I decide the mattress is not right for me and I want an exchange. Anyone here have problems with a high mattress post surgery? I really do like this bed.

Chris

[rosie1108]

I struggled at first...

I just had surgery and I'm staying with my parents. I was sleeping in my dad's bed, which is a sleep number, and quite high. At first, I had to have help lifting my legs in, and scooting over. Then, I realized that a little stool is all I needed. I got a kids bathroom stool from ikea, with rubber on the bottom so it would not slide. I just stepped up onto it, then I was able to sit further back on the bed and then lie down from there. That was a quick and easy solution to a too high of bed.

A comfy bed you like is soooo soooo soooo important!
Hope this helps!
Roseann

[Singer]

Chris -- I couldn't climb into my high bed post-op, so my husband made me a little two-inch high platform with a grippy rubber strip on it. Six and a half months later I'm still using the damn thing.

[CHRIS WBS]

Thanks for the suggestion, Roseann. After just two nights sleeping in my new bed, I really don’t want to exchange it for something else.

Chris, being the itty bitty person you are, I can see why you would definitely require a step-up stool.

Chris