Hi Jlsgreenwhch,
Unfortunately, a forum is not the best place to resolve much more complex mattress issues and I don’t have the hours it would take to go through all the information you have provided in detail and provide any more meaningful insights than you would be able to get directly from Custom Sleep Design. It would take much more lengthy and more finely detailed “real time” conversations on a phone call which isn’t possible for me and even then if a quick scan of your previous posts are correct your mattress issues are complicated with health issues that may not be resolved with a mattress. As I mentioned in an earlier post … this would be like a doctor trying to diagnose an illness over a forum which isn’t possible without much more nuanced and interactive conversations that can take place in real time rather than having to go through a review of your posts each time to catch up with and “translate” all the complex information.
I also don’t know your weight or body type, whether you are male or female, or any more detailed information about the muscle and joint issues that are caused by your health issues (which muscles and which joints are the most affected) all of which would make a difference in any more detailed analysis of all the information you have provided and this would be important to know.
I’m happy to provide some more general thoughts though on each layering combination and also quite a few examples of other forum posts that may be able to give you some insights into what may be happening in combination with more detailed conversations with Bob who has much more knowledge of his mattresses and how different combinations may work for you than I have. The posts include …
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/sealy-embody-introspection
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/effects-of-layers-and-thickness
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/wondering-why-my-lower-back-is-achcy-in-the-morning-only
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/non-memory-foam-foam-mattress
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/all-latex-in-nyc
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/switched-to-foam-and-having-a-hard-time-avoiding-back-pain
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/new-latex-mattress-too-firm
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/help-with-sleepez-latex-mattress-decision
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/fine-tuning-guidance-with-sleepez10000
A forum search on fibromyalgia (you can just click this) which may also bring up more posts you can scan through that involve muscle and joint issues.
Other than this (which I realize may require a lot of reading and sorting through information when only some of it may apply to you) I also don’t mind providing some general thoughts about the specific combinations you have tried and the specific symptoms you experienced on each but I will need you to keep it more simple and discuss one layering combination at a time and per post or series of posts (with all the layers completely outlined for each combination we are discussing) until it’s time to start discussing the next combination. It would also be helpful to know more than just whether you were experiencing a specific symptom on each combination but also about the degree of change (if you are able to discern it) you noticed in each layering combination. Unfortunately I’m a little lost in the details and number of combinations you have outlined and I would need to keep things more simple and specific and go more step by step so I have a clearer idea of exactly each specific layering you have tried and exactly how each layer changed the symptoms you are experiencing.
So to go back a bit … here’s what I know about.
1. Your original layering
Top layer-14 ILD(31"),19 ILD(49") with 2" depth
Middle layer-19 ILD(36"), 28 ILD(44") with a 3" depth
Bottom layer-32 ILD(80") with a 6" depth
The symptoms you experienced with this were low back pain.
2. Next you removed the top layer completely which means that you were sleeping on …
Middle layer-19 ILD(36"), 28 ILD(44") with a 3" depth
Bottom layer-32 ILD(80") with a 6" depth
It seems that this improved the lower back pain but you were not “comfortable”. Does this mean that you were experiencing pressure on this combination? A few more details of your experience in terms of pressure relief and back pain symptoms and any information about where you experienced any pressure symptoms would be helpful. What would be the difference between this layering and your “ideal”
3. Next it appears that you received the 32 ILD layer and replaced the 28 ILD and added the top layer on top again giving you …
Top layer-14 ILD(31"),19 ILD(49") with 2" depth
Middle layer-19 ILD(36"), 32 ILD(44") with a 3" depth
Bottom layer-32 ILD(80") with a 6" depth
On this if I understand correctly the lower back pain came back but I don’t know how your experience differed from your original layering with this combination. Was it better, worse, or unchanged and how did it change that you could see?
4. Next you mention …
This has confused me and I didn’t realize you had a single 28 ILD layer and I’m not sure of the exact layering you are referring to here. Was this a repeat of layering #2 or something else and if it was something else that you tried after #2 could you outline the exact layering so I can put it into context with the others you have tried.
Once I have more clarity with about the exact layering you are referring to here and your experiences on it (and it also confuses me that your hips were on the cut line which shouldn’t be happening because the cut line should be above your waist) … then we can proceed from here with the rest of your experiences … one very slow and specific step at a time so I have more clarity about each combination you have tried and more specific information about the changes in your experience on each one in the hopes of gaining some insights that in combination with your more discussions with Bob and more information about your own stats and details of your muscle and joint pain may help find the best possible combination.
Phoenix