Hi catte.
[quote]BTW, this is the most comprehensive website of valuable info on choosing a bed I have ever seen.
I didn’t know anything about choosing a bed.
I may be overwhelmed but no less grateful for your site.
The way you respect your members and their posts is incredible.
You have such patience and are so caring and thoughtful in your replies.
Whether you can answer or lead me to a solution I don’t know, but I sure am happy I found your site. It’s the most remarkable site on beds I have ever seen.
So thank you in advance if you can help and thank you even if you can’t.[/quote]
Thank you for your very kind words and appreciation about the site, I am happy that the information here is helping you even though it is rather extensive when you go down into details. Your words have the touch of wisdom an understanding that comes with living well on this planet regardless of its ups and downs. Last night I was very fortunate to meet a 103-year-old lady of amazing vitality and wisdom and just like with you I was greatly honored by her words and appreciation.
Without knowing about the specifics and condition of your current mattress it would be impossible to know if a topper would help.
I’m sorry to hear about your painful pre-existing conditions and I understand your confusion and the feeling of overwhelm in trying to find a quality/durable comfortable yet supportive sleeping surface that would take into account all issues you are experiencing. I agree with you to initially ensure that the mattress support is adequate not only because of your hip and foot pains but in general because if the spine is not in good alignment the body will try to compensate as (see the basic functions of a mattress here), Posture and alignment would be the first priority and then comfort/ pressure relief “plushness” coming second and you’d obviously want to consider something that allows for enough surface comfort, and also assists with pressure point relief, while still overall being resilient enough and provide enough support while sleeping.
I am not a medical practitioner, but the rotator cuff injuries often causes dull aches deep within the shoulder which tend to worsen when you try to sleep on the involved side rather than sleeping on your back. So perhaps sleeping on that shoulder is not helping with healing and you’d do much better with reverting to your back sleeping. A high BMI also presents special challenges and generally requires firmer materials (in the support layers especially). There are also a number of forum posts and threads about mattresses and higher weights and a forum title search on heavy (you can just click this) will bring up many of them. Some examples include post #2 here and post #2 here and this thread and Post #3 here has more information and suggestions about heavier weights.
As you have some very specific health considerations… generally nothing can replace your own personal testing, but if you can’t test a mattress in person then you are correct that the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using . When choosing something online, it’s important to deal with experienced, educated and helpful manufacturers who have the knowledge to guide you through the process and find something that they honestly think will fit your specific sleeping positions, somatotype, BMI and individual needs. Post #2 here and this topic have more about the pros and cons of a local vs an online purchase.
Next in the line would be to decide on the type of mattress and the choice of materials and components you’d prefer but it’s important to make sure you choose a durable version of whatever materials you chose. Latex (you can read more about the different types in post #6 here), 5 lb or higher memory foam, 2 lb or higher polyfoam, and stronger innersprings with more steel or in the case of lower coil counts with lower gauge springs (around 13 gauge or lower) are all among some of the more durable materials and components that can work well for higher weight ranges. I would make sure that any lower quality foams are less than around an inch or so in a quilting layer because more than that can become the weak link in a mattress … especially for someone that is heavier (unless of course, the mattress is for shorter term use or for a guest bedroom where durability isn’t as big an issue).
[quote]I am in Fullerton Calif. I am thinking what I need best is a good retailer who is fair, honest, and knowledgeable.
[/quote]
Foam Sweet Foam one of our Trusted Members of the site
Is based in Fullerton, CA and you may wish to give them a call to see if they can help guide you. They are also an Expert Member of our site and very experienced with helping people find the right construction for their needs. They used to have a Fullerton local facility, however, they have now switched to online entirely so I am not sure if you can go and test it.
About a half an hour drive away you’d have Flexus Comfort Mattress Company (another Trusted member) who has both spring and latex mattress and you may wish to visit and determine which type of mattress or materials you’d do best with.
And of course, if you decide to go th online route you’d have much more options and I would certainly agree with you that relying on the advice of the manufacturer themselves would have the best chance of success as they are much more familiar with their own mattress designs and materials than anyone else (including me) and they can use the information you provide them about your body type and sleeping positions, your health conditions, your preferences, your history on different mattresses, and the results of any local testing to make suggestions based on the “averages” of other customers that may be similar to you.
Depending on the mattress size you are considering there are good/quality options but for larger size beds the budget you listed may be a bit limiting for both mattress and foundation.
Hope this helps a bit and that you can get a better sense of the next steps.
And … I had a great holiday time … I hope you did too 
Phoenix