Fibro & MCS mattress topper ideas

[belladonna]

I have fibro and a bunch of other junk ;-p

I've been considering a mattress topper to help with my sleep-issues, but I seem to be having trouble determining what products will be safe for me to use.

I am allergic to wool - this does not mean I just have to cover the wool, or use softer wool, or whatever. it means NO. WOOL. PERIOD. I find that many sites are not forthcoming enough with fiber content information, and it's hard to make an accurate assessment.

I also react to latex, and it's sometimes tough to determine whether "foam" is a latex foam or not.

Those are just the two identifiable and searchable items that I react to, though.

Even if I can verify that something has no latex or wool, outgassing from fabric-finishing-treatments and packaging can render it unusable- I went through three feather duvets last winter before finding one that I could stand even AFTER airing-out. And I was feeling better then. I don't know if I can take the trial-and-error process now, as I'm generally feeling much worse overall.

So, has anyone got personal experience with particular mattress-topper type products that are definitely wool and latex free, and also stink-free? <LOL!>

 

[camas]

I don't have any experience with mattress toppers, but this one looks like it might fill the bill. Hard to say how cushy it is though.

 

[Victoria]

You have my sympathy, belladonna,

I found that I sleep far better WITH a wool underlay (I had to cast aside a bran new polyester mattress protector I bought a couple of years ago. I can't wear pure wool clothing, but my new wool underlay UNDER my sheet is OK).

When I was buying a new bed a few months ago, & more recently, new pillows, doona etc it took me ages to decide.

I lay on a sample latex, curve-shaped, pillow in the store a few weeks ago & it supported my neck perfectly & I didn't have any reaction to the latex. This was supposed to be allergy & asthma friendly.

So I bought this type of pillow. When I got home & opened the package, I nearly passed out with the smell. I washed the cotton cover in an organic/non-perfumed laundry liquid. I put the latex pillow out in the fresh air every day for about 3 weeks, but while about 90% of the smell went away, I still felt nauseous & couldn't sleep with the now, fully aired pillow. This is the second time I have spent money on a new pillow which was disastrous.

I can only assume the sample pillow I lay on in the shop was very, very old & had no smell/chemical remaining?

I cannot sleep on a hard bed either. Or a high pillow. Or at someone else's house (who use different laundry liquid). And some organic, chemical free, perfume free things affect me also.

Since you're in that bed for many hours, the smell that doesn't affect you on a brief encounter, may become intolerable if you lay on it for 8-10 hours at night.

Getting your bed, bed linen & sleeping environment RIGHT, is crucial to a good night's sleep.

And what works for one person, might be comletely different to what works for another.

 

[belladonna]

LOL! that looks very similar to the mattress pad I do have, actually. But no, it's not very cushy.
When I bought it, I was only considering MCS, and latex and wool allergies - fibro didn't happen until later.
Now I really could use that cushion, just not sure how to achieve it given the materials usually used in the industry.

 

[belladonna]

Thanks for the sympathies
When we bought our mattress, we were offered hypoallergenic pillows as part of the deal.
And after the first night I used them, I thought I was coming down with the flu.
I spent the next couple of nights on the couch (closer to the toilet and the kitchen, so convenient for being sick) but I got better... then the next time I slept in my bed, sick again... and better when sleeping elsewhere... finally tried the new bed without the new pillows, and it was fine. Fortunately the kids like the pillows, so it wasn't a total loss, but yeah - turned out they had a latex *core* inside several layers of other junk.

Last winter we went through several feather duvets to find one that didn't stink so badly just coming out of the packaging that I couldn't deal with it at all. Finally got one, but it was a pain. Even the "allergy friendly" ones can be packaged or treated so that they just about knock me over when I open them, much less sleep under them!

I know I'm more sensitive than most, but it still makes me wonder if it's not doing harm to "normal" people, only they don't notice it... It just seems too overpowering to imagine that it's NOT actually a problem for most people.

 

[Melodie]

Hi Belladonna

I wonder if they make kapok mattress toppers, and if so if it would be soft enough and not cause any probs.

 

[camas]

Since you are not allergic to feathers, how about a down mattress topper? Looks like there are some organic toppers available if you don't mind taking out a second mortgage.

My family still has the feather tick my great grandmother made from goose down. It's huge! I've always wondered how many years it took her to make. I'd love to have it, but unfortunately I'm allergic to feathers. We can't win can we?

 

[Victoria]

Just had another thought (that forum members might like to think about when buying new doonas etc).

I have a problem sleeping & apart form bed, bedclothes etc, I have various remedies & sleep promoters I use.

When I was buying my new doona a couple of weeks ago, I was aiming for the lightest, warmest, most comfortable doona I could afford.

I wanted duck or goose down. And got 50% off the price in the current sale which was great.

But, I never realised how much these new doonaas "rattle" and "rustle".

So not only was I smelling, touching, & weighing up, I tried to find one that didn't make a noise. LOL

 

[belladonna]

The down idea seems like a good possibility, but organic doesn't necessarily equal non-chemically-irritating, unfortunately, so I was hoping for individual product experiences there.

Also - doesn't down need to be "fluffed" regularly? I know my duvet has to be shaken vigorously from time to time, and I can't. Hubby will do it for the blanket, but getting him to take a featherbed off and shake it and remake the bed is probably not realistic

 

[Victoria]

Yes, the sales assistant said to give it a shake & air it regularly. Down absorbs moisture and as I perspire freely when hot, I anticipate throwing it over the clothes horse (or airing rack) when I change the sheets each week. I am in the habit of stripping my bed on sheet changing day & leaving it unmade until the evening, so my bed nearly always gets 8-10 hours of airing anyway. I rarely make up my bed straight after stripping the previous week's sheets.

As the down doona was a relatively expensive purchase for me, I will go out of my way to ensure I follow the intructions for it's care.

I always had a problem throwing my old thick quilt over the bed, but this new down doona is incredibly light. I daresay I could have carried the package home from the city with one finger (almost).

In fact, I can't believe how light it is.

 

[caledonia]

You may have to let something air out longer than 3 weeks. If it's 90% aired out, it's still outgassing. Got to let it go longer. Maybe 3 months, or whatever it takes.

 

[Victoria]

Thanks for that info, Caledonia,
I'll have to wait for the Melbourne Summer to put it out again to air on my balcony.

 

[belladonna]

If I was able to care for it myself, that would be one thing.
Convincing the husband to do the things that I can't do, when he doesn't feel the pain or appreciate the difference that the physical aids make in my life, has traditionally been a rather different story.

He seems to think it's "retail therapy" for me, and seldom seems to really grasp the level of functional benefit I get from things... so I was hoping for something that wouldn't require much maintenance, but I may just have to suck it up and have another serious conversation with him about his attitude.

I don't think we manage to get the bed changed more than once a month around here. If that. I don't *do* anything, and he showers daily, so it's not noticeably icky or anything, but it's still frustrating.

It makes me feel like he's just waiting for me to "get over it" and resume my normal responsibilities instead of taking on the responsibilities that I can't manage anymore.
And yeah, maybe I will get better, but that doesn't mean *somebody* doesn't need to be taking care of things in the interim.

 

[belladonna]

You may have to let something air out longer than 3 weeks. If it's 90% aired out, it's still outgassing. Got to let it go longer. Maybe 3 months, or whatever it takes.

30 days is the usual return-window for things, though - so if it won't reach tolerable levels within about 2 weeks, it really needs to be heading back home to it's maker.
(unless it's got a longer return-window)

 

[belladonna]

I have not heard of kapok - I will go look into that

 

[leela]

The problem with kapok--it bunches and gets *really* lumpy. At least in my pillows, which of course are
not stitched down in dimples like mattress toppers often are. I thought I was going to love my kapok pillows and find I absolutely can't use them for reasons of lumpy hardness.

Btw kapok tress are totally beautiful, with large orchid-like blooms and strange thorny growths on the trunk. The blooms turn to large pods which then pop open and the cloudlike cottony kapok poofs out.

I have a similar dilemma with mattresses and toppers. There is a soy-based foam on the market now, but I think it has lots of icky additives in it. Here in California they have extra stupid regulations about fire retardants, so they add even more chemicals to bedding than other states. Have you checked if that's true for TX (I think the original poster was form TX but suddenly I'm afraid I've had an attack of
the stupids. Forgive me if that is so.)
Anyway, the culprit might be *that* instead of the contents themselves. Some stores here will manufacture a completely chemical-free mattress or what have you
but you need a note from a doctor!! I find this so stupid. Spray *all* the people with extra harmful
carcinogenic chemicals just because a handful of narcoleptic smokers set their own beds on fire...

Good luck with your search, and your sleep, and I'll chime in if I find anything good.

 

[camas]

I wish you luck in your search too. I hope you can find something that's really comfortable that requires little to no maintenance.

 

[belladonna]

It's beginning to look like the hubby may just have to learn to fluff :-/
That's unlikely, but it seems that the low-maintenance requirement is really the show-stopper for mattress-pads, anyway.

 

[leela]

I just thought of something...Years ago I bought a silk-filled duvet that I love. No stink, though it's not washable, just hang-in-the-sun every now and again. Since I use a duvet cover, this is not an issue.
I just did a search (I can't remember where I bought it) and found this mattress pad:
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/silk-mattress-pads.html?itemId=1418
It's pricy, and doesn't offer much in the way of loft, but perhaps it's an avenue of research to pursue?

 

[belladonna]

THere's an interesting idea! THanks