So I’ve went from an air bed with little in the way of comfort layers to a latex mattress to a high quality coiled mattress.
I have two problems. One I’m overweight, so I need a firm mattress. The other is that I have what are called Lipomas which are benign tumors that I have surgically removed. Firm beds cause intense scar tissue pain.
The air bed was an air bed. When I put it together and realized what I bought, I found this site 2 years ago. Send it back and bought a 100% latex bed. No scar tissue pain, but it wasn’t very comfortable. If I put a low enough ILD to be soft on top, I would sink in too far and it would cause back pain.
So I bought a high quality coiled mattress with ample comfort layers. Too soft and hurt my back. Returned it for a model with little comfort layers and it made my scars super painful. I’ve since added a 3" latex 14-16 ILD topper. When I had that low of ILD on the latex only mattress, it caused back pain. As a topper, it’s ok. It’s still too firm.
I toss and turn so much that I tear up expensive Egyptian cotton sheets. I have to take powerful NSAIDs to sleep through the night.
So I don’t know what to do (other than lose a bunch of weight). I need a firm enough support core so that my back doesn’t hurt and a soft enough comfort layers so that my scar tissue isn’t irritated by the firmness. Catch 22 right?
I’ve actually thought about going back to a air bed with a bunch of comfort layers. Pump up the air to 100 for support and soft ILD on top.
As you may already be aware, having a higher BMI presents special challenges and generally requires firmer materials (in the support layers especially). This could be firmer latex or innersprings (the type of support component would be a personal preference and in the right design either could be suitable) or even a zoned construction. The same overall guidelines apply with higher weights though that PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) along with using high quality durable materials that will maintain their feel and performance for longer periods of time are the way to make the best choices. Heavier people in general will need firmer and thicker comfort layers and firmer support layers than those who are lighter and because no materials will last as long with much higher weights the quality and durability of the materials and components is even more important than normal. I wouldn’t “rule out” any types of mattress and base your choices on your own personal testing. Post #3 here has more information and suggestions about heavier weights that is worth reading.
I’m sorry to hear about your lipoma condition. When you say that a “firm bed” causes pain, I’m assuming you mean a mattress that feels “too hard” on top.
You can read my thoughts on air mattresses here. They’re generally not something I would recommend.
With the latex mattress, without knowing the exact specifications of what you purchased, it sounds from your brief description that your pressure point relief was good, but that either your “comfort cradle” was a bit too deep (you had too much softer foam in the upper layers of your mattress) or the latex support core you used wasn’t substantial/firm enough, or perhaps a combination of the two. The two main functions of a mattress are to first promote good support/neutral alignment, and then provide comfort.
Unfortunately, the terms “high quality” and “ample comfort layers” don’t convey any meaningful information, so I can’t speak directly to what you’ve described without knowing the actual componentry, but it sounds as if the first model you chose had too much foam on top that allowed you to sink in too deeply, or the foam itself was not a very high quality foam, or was too plush, or they type of innerspring unit used allowed you to sinking too much and didn’t provide enough “deep support”.
There is some information about the many different symptoms that people may experience on a mattress and some of the most common causes behind them in post #2 here that may be helpful.
There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” although this may be more than you really need to know to choose a mattress that is a good “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
I wouldn’t recommend this, and it wouldn’t be as supportive, nor would the resulting alignment be as good as something using a good innerspring unit or latex foam core.
Losing weight is almost always a good option for most of us , but the issues with your pressure points will still be present. The best I can offer is a theory at a distance, which is something I try to avoid, as there are entirely too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or if you can’t test a mattress in person then your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
From your descriptions, it sounds as if the latex did a good job on the surface comfort for the pressure point relief, and many people with similar pressure sensitivities to yours (fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis) find similar relief using latex in some capacity. But it also seems that in some of your previous configurations that you may have either had too much plush material in the uppermost layers of your mattress, or not enough upper comfort layers at all (those with a higher BMI generally need more comfort layers in a mattress) or a more supportive support core, or perhaps a combination of all three.
Having said that … I would always keep in mind that the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress. Because of your challenges, you have a greater chance of being outside of the “norm” for most other people and my suggestions would be less “spec” oriented than others and more general in nature.
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
While posture and alignment is the most important part of PPP for most people … with your situation the comfort and pressure relief of a mattress is usually a more important priority and most people in your case tend to choose softer comfort layers because of their sensitivity to pressure on their joints and skin so a mattress that would fit the “averages” of most people could still be firmer than you need or prefer. But because of your higher BMI you need to make sure that you have a “firm enough” support core for deep alignment and also comfort materials in a substantial enough quantity.
Because what “works” for others may be very different from what “works” for you … your own experience and careful testing also takes on a much more important role than theory.
The general guidelines I suggest would be that you will need layer softness and thickness on top of the mattress that relieves pressure on different parts of the body and also relieves pressure on the areas that are particularly troublesome for you. Zoning may be a good option here.
In addition to this … the use of thicker layers of natural fibers … and in particular wool, can also help with some of these sensitivity issues and with the sleeping microclimate/temperature control which can be important. These can be added as a topper rather than as a layer of the mattress itself so if they compress over time and get too firm they can be changed without buying a new mattress.
I would keep in mind as well that in most cases, those who suffer from sensitivities like yours are particularly sensitive to pain from excess pressure and that your focus may need to shift slightly to take this into account, but we know already from your personal experience you can’t choose to much ultra plush material on top without adequate transitioning to the deeper support layers. This shouldn’t however be at the expense of good support that helps keep you in overall neutral alignment in all your sleeping positions (your spine and joints especially) because if your muscles are doing the work that the mattress should be doing trying to keep you in alignment or if your joints are overextended from a mattress that is too soft, you can also be subject to joint pains and the overall discomfort, pain and aches that come from your muscles working too hard over the course of the night.
Sometimes too if your natural alignment is different from the norm or “averages” … then what “works” for someone else with a similar body type and sleeping positions may not work as well for you because of the differences in your natural posture or physiology that are either part of your unique makeup or are “learned” over time and have become part of your “body memory”. In these cases … a mattress that would otherwise be “perfect” may result in some discomfort as the body re-learns what natural alignment feels like and stiffened muscles, ligaments, and joints get used to a new sleeping surface. In some cases it may even be desirable to choose a mattress that otherwise wouldn’t be “quite right” for someone that didn’t have your symptoms so that any adjustment isn’t too extreme.
Ultimately, there is no way to know what will work best for you without your own experience on mattresses (either testing or sleeping on it in real life). A good suggestion would be to speak directly with the people who manufacture or sell higher quality mattresses who are familiar with people who need extreme pressure point relief and who have the knowledge and experience to help you make the best possible choices.
With your partial positive feedback, some sort of a latex combination might be a good direction to pursue, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend some of the expert latex manufacturers who are members of the site here, some of whom have many years of experience with specific pressure point relief combinations for those of a higher BMI in an all-latex combination, and you can relate to them in a phone call your previous configurations and what did and didn’t work for you. They can assist more with the “what” to choose, as I can only help here with the “how” to choose.
I hope that information helps point you in a better direction.
, but the issues with your pressure points will still be present. The best I can offer is a theory at a distance, which is something I try to avoid, as there are entirely too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or if you can’t test a mattress in person then your own personal sleeping experience (see