Hi Tuneful,
Unfortunately you aren’t alone.
In taking a look at the stats of your mattress here … you can see that there is 5" of polyfoam and some soft fiber in the upper layers of your mattress which means that it’s unlikely that what you are feeling is as much about the springs as it is about the ILD (firmness level) of the foam … probably the HD (mid grade) polyfoam on top. The irony here is that not only is the foam too firm for you … it’s also polyfoam and not even the best quality which means that the odds are that a polyfoam layer that thick also wouldn’t last as long as it should. Part of the difficulty as well is that even though the foam is too firm for your pressure needs … it would probably also be too soft as part of your support layer which it would become if you add more foam on top and put yourself further away from where the support is meant to come from which is the innersprings.
I would be curious what type of latex your topper was and what the ILD was as well because this would help give an indication of the type of foam that felt comfortable to you. I suspect that your needs would be much softer than the norm.
You are also trapped in the comfort exchange cycle meaning that you are limited to what they offer (probably all “S” brands which would be among my last choices in any model).
I think your biggest need seems to be in the comfort layers which means that the foam on top of the innersprings will be much more important for you. I think too that the Fontaine (Raleigh) will also be too firm for you because it has relatively firmer foams … including a layer of what is likely firmer latex … in the comfort layer. They don’t release the ILD of their foams however so it’s hard to know for sure. The innersprings are more about support and keeping you in alignment than they are about pressure relief. They may “help” with the pressure relief depending on the layers above them and on your height, weight, body shape, and sleeping position but the top few inches are where most of your pressure relief will come from.
I personally would never buy a mattress from a major brand unless I absolutely had to and even then it would be very reluctantly because the value and usually the material quality just isn’t there. This article will give you some ideas of some guidelines that can help you avoid most of the pitfalls of mattress shopping.
I would also never buy an air bed for any reason. Air is a poor support layer because it has no progressive resistance (it’s either fully compressed or not compressed at all) and can’t adjust itself to changes in sleeping position. It is among the worst choices for a support core IMO and it doesn’t help that the prices they charge for an air bladder are hard to believe. This article talks in quite some detail about airbeds.
You’re in quite a difficult position unfortunately but if you let me know the online outlet and if they have their mattresses online, I’ll take a look at what they offer to see if they have anything which may be suitable … even though it wouldn’t likely have real value. If they have a firm mattress with very little foam on top then this may be an option with a soft topper (the thickness and type would depend on your stats and sleeping position)
Whether or not it would be worthwhile to walk away would depend on what they had but because your sleep and overall wellbeing is clearly important to you … I would rather walk away, start over, and recover what I could than settle for something that will make your challenges worse if I was in your shoes.
You clearly need a thick and soft enough comfort layer to relieve pressure. This would likely mean memory foam of some type (they aren’t all the same) or latex (softer than you had). Other options that could work include buckling column gel or microcoils. The level of support you need would depend on the firmness that will keep your spine in alignment and keep your heavier parts (usually hips and pelvis) from sinking down too far. I would make sure that in your case you test a mattress specifically for PPP … Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Preferences and feel rather than buy online or at the very least lie on the specific mattress or something very close in terms of material, layer thickness, and construction before you made a purchase online.
Washington is somewhat of a wasteland when it comes to mattresses … I joked in another thread that maybe nobody sleeps there … but there are some better local options listed in post #2 here. There are 2 factory direct outlets listed there in Richmond which may also be worth a visit.
Hope this helps … and if you let me know your general height/weight and sleeping positions and the online outlet I may be able to make spme better suggestions.
Phoenix