mattress solutions

[patoyeah]

my mattress has been beating me up since october

it is an adjustable bed, feet and head are adjustable.

i am thinking about getting an alternating air over lay and / or sheep skin, or possibly memory foam i have read DianeH mention.

any recommendations or suggestions might be helpful, different ideas also may help


sore,

pat

 

[affected]

We tried a ROHO overlay first but Chris did not like it for sleeping at all.

The ROHO cushion however was brilliant.

The alternating air mattress (full mattress not overlay) was perfect for him.

You will get a few different views as it's not a one size fits all, but then that will help you make your own choice

 

[Ells]

Pat, I guess it depends on what your problem is.

Are you in pain on your current mattress? Have difficulty moving?

I cannot move and have significant atrophy, especially in my upper body, so am at risk for pressure sores and thus have an alternating air mattress.

 

[patoyeah]

the search function was changed here a few days ago. the only one that worked for me was on the home page. that has been removed. with the remaining search function, after i get in five letters, i get redirected completely off this site, everytime.

my device is an Eyegaze Edge by LC Technologies, seems good, got it a couple months ago.

i am presently stuck in bed since October. paralyzed and all that jazz.

my back, shoulders, hips, are in pain continuously.

i have somewhat sexy baby soft skin, though it is stinky presently.


u cals are are so helpful, i was researching here successfully till the search function was removed from the home page. Ells i saw many of your posts also, very helpful, thank u.

we are behind getting / researching equipment. we lived in a small two story house in Northern New Jersey. we needed to move, find a house (ranch if possible, very few in Northern Nj). so sell a house, buy a house, move, and renovations dominated our 2015.

i became fully paralyzed, all bony now, weight maybe150 was a lean 200 pounds. unable to speak for about 12 months, and had no communication equipment till recently, so i was unable to research also. my hands and arms stopped working first, a couple of years ago.

so i am playing catch up with equipment and research; and the search fuction here stopped working for me. makes me want some ice cream, u know what i am saying?

this is a great site, a blessing for me. the cals here are so generous. before these sites, it must have been much more difficult for pals and cals. long term survivors like DianeH amaze me. they survived this before these sites were available.

looking for a solution, while being frugal, if possible? could sheep skin alone, or alternating air over lay alone meet this need? DaineH mentioned memory foam.

i thank u very much,

pat

 

[lgelb]

Pat, what material is your existing mattress? If a hospital bed, likely "medical foam." Others vary more so it would help to know.

Latex, memory foam and furniture-grade foam are all possibilities depending on your needs. Sheepskin does not add a lot of cushioning but has other properties. The alternating air may be good if it is lack of movement rather than lack of support driving most of the pain.

As for the search box, have you checked your browser app and plug-in settings to make sure you don't have anything set to "open links in new tab"?

 

[Ells]

Pat,

Really hope the eye gaze works out for you; it can be frustrating in the beginning, stick w/ it and remember good calibration is key! If you move position or even slouch in the bed, you may need to take the 2 mins to recalibrate your eyes for precision. I’d be utterly lost w/ out mine!

You must be miserable w/ pain. It sounds like you do need an alternating air mattress as you’re bedbound. I don’t know anything about getting equipment in the U.S., but I often see references to an “MDA loaner closet” who may help you w/ a mattress. (and a day chair???) I’m sure others will give you good ideas.

Take care,
Ells.

 

[Diane H]

I recently found a ROHO bed size cushion on Amazon for under $200. That is a great price, less than a wheelchair seat cushion. The bed ROHO is 3 sections that snap together but are individually inflated. The air cells are large, about 5 inches square, not 2 inches as on the seat cushion but that probably accounts for the lower price. Although this appears to be ROHO's "economy" model of their bed cushions, it has been more comfortable than the memory foam was. I still get shoulder or hip pain when turned on my side for an hour or more, but it isn't a pressure type of pain. I don't get the deep skin burning pain I associate with pressure, just plain old joint pain from arthritis in my hips and a bit of subluxation of my shoulders. I do like it somewhat better than the memory foam but a slowly rotating air cushion probably would have been a better choice as time goes by. Money is tight and I was probably penny wise and dollar foolish in not going with the rotating mattress and getting cheaper but possibly temporary.

As for memory foam it is a good choice early on. It is what the big names like Tempurpedic are made from. In my experience it does offer a good amount of pressure relief and pressure sore prevention but not as much for aching joints. The trick with memory foam is to start with a base of high density (very firm) foam, or a standard mattress. Top it with medium density, about 4 inches. 2 layers of 2 inch foam is cheaper. Add a 2 inch layer of low density on top. The pressure relief memory foam mattresses go a step further. They have cut out sections of the top layer of the medium density at the shoulders, hip and foot sections. Those cut outs are replaced with pieces of low density foam. That gives better support for most of body and makes it easier to turn than being sunk into the soft low density layer all over. The low density is only under the bony areas where pressure sores commonly occur. A do-it-yourself version is probably no cheaper than buying this type, but has the big advantage of being changeable. If pressure spots begin along a bony spine, cutouts of low density can be added, or if heel pressure is painful, the low density foam can be made 4 inches deep instead of 2.

 

[patoyeah]

legl, u have so much info. i have read so many detailed post, by u, thank u. i will find about the mattress, as far as i know now it is hard as Chinese Math and i can not move. i will have my wife check that search issue, she knows some computer kung fu.

Ells, about 9 months i was stuck in bed, in mucho physical pain, and unable to communicate. no way to throw a party. this Eyegaze is working well, such a blessing. i know many pals now and many more before me did not get this equipment. this works everywhere else except this sites search function. the search they had on the home page worked for me, but that was removed a few days ago.

this is an incredible site, populated with generous, knowledgeable people. this site is such a gift to me.

stinky,

pat

 

[patoyeah]

Diane, thank u for all u have done, your site is top notch and a big help.

we will order something very soon. do u have an opinion about that ROHO u mentioned vs. an alternating air over lay?

Diane u are such a gift. u may never be able to answer, but how did u survive this before this easy exchange of information online?

thank u,

pat

 

[Diane H]

An alternating air mattress would be a step up in pressure relief. A rotating alternating air mattress would be top of the line -- and price -- but wouldn't require purchasing a better mattress later.

I survived the early years in the information void simply because I was not progressing rapidly and my needs were simple. In the 90's the only stuff online were text only newsgroups. There was an ALS group but there was little to share. In 1995 AOL connected us to the World Wide Web that exploded with the mail lists and websites and forum that we have today. Huge advances that most users today didn't experience.

 

[patoyeah]

i am guessing my pain is from lack of movement and being bony. been stuck in bed since October.

trying to get a lift, that will help.

the mattress is a Serta iseries vantage firm. the frame is serta adjustable xl twin. we have two, so they make an adjustable king with individual controls.

Diane what do u sleep on?

i would like to go the frugal route. ROHO or alternating air over lay seem to be the best choices for under $200 usd.

what should put on top of these, or only a fitted sheet?

thank u,

pat

 

[patoyeah]

does type of sheet matter, if yes any suggestions?

 

[affected]

Pat some PALS who can move a bit like satin sheets as they help to move.

Otherwise you can use whatever kind of sheets you like best, it's really just a thin covering that can be washed

 

[patoyeah]

@ Diane H, or anybody else, did your ROHO come with their cover / sheet? i am guessing no, the price for it is over a hunderd bucks. is it special, is that cover / sheet worth that price?

thinking we will get an alternating air overlay, or the ROHO overlay. seem like their are some decent options under $200 usd.

if we get alternating air overlay, any recommendations, or cautions to offer?

do yall put anything on top of these overlays, or just a fitted sheet?

Happy Mothers Day Weekend,

pat

 

[Diane H]

An alternating pressure air mattress is a step up in pressure relief. It will probably take a rotating air mattress to both relieve pressure and help joint aches that require repeated repositioning.

For the absolute best in pressure relief, sales people recommend minimal covering on an air mattress. I am always so cold when I get into bed so I have a heated mattress pad on the air mattress and a sheet on top of that. And on top of that I have a reusable incontinence pad. I don't need it for incontinence but instead my husband uses it as a draw sheet to turn me side to side. It has a quilted top so it doesn't get wrinkles, and vinyl underside, is machine wash and dry, and has held together for many years. So I am a real scoff law with what I put over the air mattress! But each layer serves an important function for me -- and I don't have pressure sore problems.