Hi HoosierLife,
I would say that the latex topper was a “good quality/value” choice but I would also question the “value” of the other choices you made unless you can “make them work” with the right combination of layers on top of a firmer air bladder.
[quote]I can already tell it is not comfortable to lay on. It feels too firm to me. Like I’m sinking through the latex and am resting directly on the air bladders. I laid on my side for a few minutes and my hip was hurting me.
I know with just the topper on my old mattress I slept better than I had in a log time. Though I could still feel the impression and some of the coils from the Sealy poking at me. I would usually wake up tossing and turning every couple of hours and have tremendous back and hip pain in the morning. I didn’t have hardly any of that the last 3 nights.[/quote]
With the softer polyfoam in your mattress it would be softer than your airbed so it’s not surprising that you would feel more pressure points with the airbed “through” the soft topper and it’s also not surprising that the combination of softer polyfoam in your mattress along with a very soft topper would cause back pain because with 6" of very soft materials on top of your sleeping system (the polyfoam and the topper) it would probably be too soft for you and you are probably sleeping out of alignment which is the most likely cause of your back pain.
The combination may also be a better “match” for your wife than it is for you because of differences in her body type, sleeping positions, or sensitivity.
You could purchase any mattress that you wished of course but it would be important that any mattress you purchase is a good “match” for both of you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) because a latex mattress that works perfectly for some people may still be too soft or too firm for someone else and could be unsuitable for them to sleep on. While latex is a great material … choosing the “right” latex mattress is more important than just choosing any latex mattress.
There is more about the different ways to choose a mattress (either locally or online) that is the most suitable “match” for each person’s specific needs and preferences and how to identify and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for that are involved in each of them in post #2 here.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses.
While adding another topper is still an option of course … if you do decide to start over again then I would also make sure you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Phoenix