We are blessed to have a way to share our extraordinary lives that prove why for us, Walking Is, Way Overrated. You'll see... Stories, Life lessons, Problem Solving, Aging with a disability, all intended to encourage and help out anyone who may be new to using wheels for legs, aging, have a loved one facing challenges or you may just be interested in reading something unique. You may even smile! All glory goes to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Recently we realized our brand new twinxl mattresses that were only six months old, were just not helping my back. We have a great Leggett and Platt adjustable bed. See here to learn more about that in a previous post with video. The new mattress on my side was sinking too far after only a couple weeks. For sixteen years we have been using the same adjustable bed, but needed to replace the very excellent Sealy for adjustable beds, mattresses. Our king size bed is comprised of two twin xl beds.
Because bed support is super important for people with back issues, like severe scoliosis, it was clear we needed to replace the new Simmons mattresses from the Brick.
Not in the mood to figure out what would work best. Afraid of buying another wrong mattress, I tried researching the only brick and mortar stores I knew of like the Brick, Leons and Dufrenes. But nothing made me feel confident they would work out. Beds can't really be truly returned. In fact because twin xl's are custom made, the Brick said there was no way to return or exchange them. Not to mention, I was scared of wasting more money we didn't have.
Bed support is critical
So while we watched review after review about beds/mattresses, I remember seeing the Logan and Cove website pop up. Craig asked me to check out the Endy mattress online and I think that was how the other popped up. Needless to say, we ordered an Endy pillow (slept on it two nights- too firm, not squishable...more on that in the future) but, the mattress didn't feel right. Never interested in just a foam mattress, we moved on. Then after my exasperation set in, I just couldn't pick one confidently so on a whim and possibly Divine intervention, we ordered this mattress called Logan Cove from Novosbed in Canada.
Watch our new Bed review!!
What drew me was the hybrid luxury aspect of it, individually wrapped pocket coils that are 13 and 14 gauge, giving them better spring and support I assume. And it had layers of different support foams and bonus, it stated it was suitable for an adjustable bed! Plus it has a 120 sleep night guarantee. The one draw back was, it had a pillow top. For me, I always avoided pillow tops, assuming they would compress and not be soft or be too soft. But this didn't stop me this time. There was a special "feeling" this time...just order it, you need a new mattress.
A Jump To King Size
Because we never use the individual controls on our adjustable bed, I just need it to sit up and be comfy, we finally opted to buy a full king mattress. No more seam down the center and it was about three hundred dollars cheaper to buy a king as opposed to two twin xl's. The bed was ordered.
While we waited, I started browsing on Amazon and saw another similar looking mattress that has springs and foam, and was less than half the price. After a mild panic, asing Craig if we should cancel the new one and buy this really cheap one, I called the L and C number a couple times asking questions. They were very nice. Needless to say, we got a grip and stayed committed to the L and C mattress. We concluded that we always learn lessons the hard way when we cheap out. After all, the Amazon one didn't have the same quality at all. You could tell from reading and comparing. Be careful about opting for what is cheap, it is why we already wasted money on the last mattresses and don't get me started on pillows! (more on that in the future).
The Final Verdict?
Check out our video to see what we thought and think so far.
Yay guys! Hopefully in the last eight months or so, any of you who are seeking to get a new wheelchair or want to recommend it to someone that you care about, you're able to glean some information from the process that I've been going through... To cut to the chase, if you wish dive right in to share the joy with me!
And then last week (hence the new video) the Grand Finale that I am sharing with you today, is because on February 20, 2018, my favourite tech and salesperson from our vendor, took my chair in the morning, returning it with replaced parts and the long awaited for bestest back to date, the Jay 3 back, is back number five. Watch The Grand Finale Below!
Using a wheelchair for 90% of my life, this past experience was the longest "in the process," process, that I've ever went through. It definitely requires the patience of God, as well as helping with research, instead of what I did before - nothing. I would just let the salesperson and professionals, tell me what I needed. I didn't think we were allowed to get involved, turns out I was wrong. This time around, I learned that I was able to do my own research on Internet, looking at a plethora of options that are out there. The sales person, that we've known and loved for over 20 years, helped me out tremendously, accepting my choices, bringing them to fruition.
The long timeline, makes complete sense, when your physical needs have escalated. It is why was the physiotherapist and occupational therapists, make sure that your seating needs are met to the best of their ability. And I'm sure it is why, in our province of Ontario, we are permitted to get a new back and cushion every two years. Why did I wait 12 years? Just didn't know that new backs for possible. By now I know. Having wonky seating definitely has helped encourage my back to curve more. I look forward to years of more support. Especially, since we now have a really good supportive bed. (more on that and another video/blog soon) High-level needs people such as myself, have ever-changing physical needs regarding seating support and such.
My new wheelchair process, has been going on since April 2017 to be exact. That was when I first received my new power tilt Motion Concepts/Invacare wheelchair. To give a brief summary, in case you don't know, on the very first day, I had joystick troubles so my chair shutdown sporadically. As often happens, the specialized wheelchairs, with various components need to be tried out. Went through a few headrest options. And the biggest was finding the best back for my requirements.
The goal of course, is to find what works for each client. Which meant for me, the first back didn't work for my spine needs. The long and the short of it is. Due to technical difficulties, my entire wheelchair was fully replaced once, along with some other minor issues about parts that needed to be switched out, including another joystick and my power tilt components.
To find out just how well my entire new chair is take a watch below!
