I thought it would be useful to other pain people to document our experience, so here's my 2 month update. First here's my previous report, after 2.5 wks - sorry this is redundent, but I've edited a bit for length:
Update: After a couple of weeks of moving the various pieces of the Vzone around I was close to giving up on latex. I tried every combination that made sense and nothing seemed to help. Until I tried one last combination that didn't make as much sense: I took the one small piece of superfirm foam and put that under my hips. Bingo. Now top layer is M under my shoulders, F under lumbar, and SF under the hips, over F and XF lower layers, and I've had no pain in 11 days. None. Every morning I wake up feeling fine. It's a miracle. There is now a pretty huge difference in firmness between the shoulders and the hips and I really did not expect that to work, but that's what my back wanted after all. Dave is now sending me an 18" SF piece for under my hips since 10" isn't much to aim for (that's how big the SF currently under my hips is). My husband is still not entirely satisfied with the bed, which feels too mushy to him. Dave is sending a new SF piece to bring him to XF/SF/SF; we'll see how that goes. But he does sleep well and wakes up without aches and pains, which is the main thing. The interesting thing here is that I always expected that when I found the perfect bed I would stretch out and immediately think, "aaah, this is it!". That didn't happen. Still doesn't. I have slept on mattresses in hotels that felt great upon lying down, but not upon getting up. I have bought mattresses before that feel wonderful in the store but don't work out. When I lie on my new bed it doesn't feel like anything special, and I think of nothing more than "ok, bedtime". But I sleep soundly and wake up happy. I now wonder if it's even possible to try a bed in a store, or to predict what the right mattress is, at least for me. My back pain comes and goes in severity, so I know better than to get my hopes up too far. But this is the best I've felt in a long time. I hope it lasts. Linda This message was modified Mar 18, 2010 by lnkholder
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Leo3 wrote: Wow what a process. Why do you dislike the eggcrate? Does it cause pain? So the Vzone was the missing link, and you needed more firm at the hip. What made your back feel better? More firmness? It does get confusing. It is strange that a bed feels fine when you lay on it initially, then hours later (one or two) you wake up in pain. You really can't tell by test driving a bed in the store, to me it is a waste of time. I know because of all the mistakes I have made.
Whatever you do if it is working, don't tweak it. The Vzone was configured with large pieces that could be swapped so it could be either F or XF at the hip, and since vzones normally provide a little extra support under the lumbar region, smaller XF and SF pieces were included. I put the small SF piece under the hip, not the waist, and that unusual configuration worked for my unusual back. Linda |
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I asked the man who owns FloBeds, Dave Turner, about this piece of latex that we refer to as, the convoluted top piece. He told me that they chose this approach to the final layer of latex in their bed to better enable circulation under the sleeper. I have always liked my piece of convoluted latex so I have never felt a need to turn it over and try the other side. But if the slight sensation of "hills and valleys" that convoluted latex presents felt uncomfortable to me, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to turn it over and try the smooth side. If this reversing of the convoluted piece did not satisfy the customer I would assume FloBeds would exchange it, as they exchange any and all layers within the mattress during the first 90 days at the customer's request, for some other piece of latex that would fit within the mattress cover. The main thing to keep in mind is that FloBeds has built a reputation on customer service. They are not the cheapest on the Internet. Evidently based upon information in another thread, some of their exchanges may involve a replacement with a piece of latex that has been exchanged by another customer, after a thorough inspection and cleaning, this piece of latex will be recycled back into the customer base. This does not trouble me at all. What I wanted from my mattress supplier was the willingness to work with me to make sure that I had a mattress, number one, that I could afford, and number two, would meet my criteria for comfort. FloBeds has met this criteria fully and completely. I would recommend to anybody who has a FloBeds, if they are uncomfortable in any way, to contact Dave or Dewey Turner and talk to them about it. I'm sure they will get a satisfactory response. Doing business with this company has reminded me of my experiences of growing up in a small Midwestern town in the 1950s. The "Good Merchants" were the kind of people that you could always talk to about a product you purchased from them. If there was any defects or imperfections, or whatever that was not satisfactory to you, they would work with you to make sure that you were satisfied. They knew that word-of-mouth would either keep them in business or drive them out. It is too bad that we have lost that characteristic in America. FloBeds, it seems to me, is a return to that tradition. This message was modified Mar 19, 2010 by eagle2
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I turned my convoluted topper over so the hills and valleys are facing down. The topper never actually bothered me though, and when I had it facing up, I couldn't feel the hills and valleys. To the person who isn't sure about the wook in the cover: if you get a traditional cover, it will have a PU fill with flame retardants in it. Wool is a natural flame retardant, and a natural repellant for bedbugs and mites. It will keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Wool is really wonderful stuff! My old bed I had before I replaced it with the Flobed was a Simmons (before they went to the dark side and started using cheap PU foam). It was a traditional spring mattress with wool fill. For 15 years it was the most wonderful, supremely comfortable mattress, until it wore out. I've been sold on wool fillings ever since I bought that mattress. The Flobeds mattress cover, with it's knit cotton and wool batting, is really a pleasure to lie on. Nevertheless, if you really dislike wool, other options are probably out there. Oh, and I should mention, I'm extremely sensitive to wool. I can't have it against my skin at all, or I break out and itch all over. Over the course of 15 years with my old Simmons mattress and this new Flobed mattress cover, I have never had a moment's discomfort due to the wool.
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The wool top can be completely unzipped and taken off. So, you have the option to not use the wool if you really don't want to. However, it is nice to have some kind of top to hold it together. Flobeds does not sell any other options for the zippered top. I think the wool does moderate extreme temperatures a bit. I never felts the bumps of the covoluted layer. I think with the wool top on and a mattress pad and sheet over, the feeling is really muted. I did try it with the convoluted piece flipped over. It might feel slightly firmer that way. Not sure I noticed much of a difference.
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I tried flipping the topper over but that didn't make any difference (I hadn't actually expected it to). I will probably flip it back at the next layer exchange. I tried removing the topper completely but sleeping directly on the cores was uncomfortable, so we put it back. Dave assured us early on that any part of the bed can be exchanged, including the topper. Linda |
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Inkholder, congratulations on finally getting your bed to feel comfortable. I am glad I bought the FloBeds latex kit and would have tried the VZone if it was out when I first ordered. The convoluted topper was too thick for me. Dave worked with me on the latex cores and tried to work with me on the topper but when I saw the Brylane Queen 1" natural latex topper on sale with a great return policy, I decided to try it. I love having the 1" of cushion over my XF over the XF over the Super Firm latex cores on my side of the bed. On my other side of the bed, the set-up is similar but slightly softer since each latex core has a range in ILD's. My natural latex pillows help me also. I had a car accident 2.5 years ago and Dave let me exchange past the 90 days to get the two Super Firm latex cores since due to the herniated disks I now have from the car accident, I needed my bed a bit firmer. I really love sleeping on my latex bed and I love the zippered up mattress cover. It took me 6 Overstock standard natural Talalay Latex pillows to find two pillows that were the perfect height for my petite frame. I use the other pillows as shams when I want to dress up the bed.
I know others that love the convoluted topper but it made the bed too soft for me since I did not sink in enough to feel the extra firm layer underneath. I had started off with a bed way too soft which hurt my back. I tried laying on the latex cores without the topper but since I sleep on my side, I needed the little bit of cushion to soften up the pressure points on my hips and shoulders. This message was modified Mar 19, 2010 by Lynn2006
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| Is your bed still comfortable for you? Did you find a cheap foundation? I hope it is still working for you. |
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Linda, Thanks so much for being persistant......I'm following your lead and shifting towards the firmer v-zone to find the pain free combination.... |
| Jerry T, I have found out that what is comfortable when initially lying on a bed is a lot of cushion but what is comfortable throughout the night for me and upon waking up is a very firm bed with only a tiny bit of cushion for my pressure points. My latex pillow that is the perfect height for me and firmness level mades going to bed such a comfort. I love my latex pillow. |