I just had a moment like that this week. After months of seeing doctors for pain and being diagnosed with arthritis while still comfortably on the foot of that big hill called "the late 20s," I've found a culprit to pin it on. Now there is more than one reason, take 15 years of dance damage, years of high heels to boost my 5'1'' height, slouching (sorry mom!), two births, and not enough lifting with the legs and anyone would be hurting at least a little. But for the amount of pain I've been in, there was more.
Four doctors and 6 months didn't bring an answer. I had a flash of brilliance one morning sitting in my bed. My bed which is really a mattress and box spring on the floor. A mattress and box spring we were given 2 years ago. Two years ago when my parents friends were redoing their bedroom furniture. Every piece of furniture in my bedroom is a hand-me-down. And apparently my back could handle a used dresser, but the used mattress had sprung it's last spring.
I don't think I've had a new mattress since I was a toddler and got my first bed (which is currently in the kiddos room). I don't know what a new mattress feels like! The definitive test came when I slept last night on the newest mattress in the house. A year old Ikea special. I woke up with a bit more bounce, and considering I'm not a morning person, that's not bad.
I buy second hand everything apart from undergarments & kitchen utensils. I think I'm going to be adding mattresses to that small list. The fact that something free, that didn't seem so bad had been causing so much trouble is disturbing. Wouldn't a bad mattress feel bad? I thought it would, how wrong I was! How can you gauge the life a second hand find has left in it? How can you be sure a bargain will be all it's cracked up to be? Unlike the salvation army finds languishing in my closet in the "seemed like a good idea at the time" section, this "treasure" was every man's trash.
Even scarier, I read an article (never Google while under duress) about obesity and poor sleep. I'm resisting the urge to throw out all the mattresses in the house and get new ones. This seems like overreacting, but when I tell you that the oldest mattress is at least 20 years old, and the others are of indeterminant age, you'll forgive my fervor.
First the bed bug scare, now back pain. I won't be discouraged from foraging, thrifting, or curb hunting, but I've definitely learned the hard way that sometimes you do have to look that gift horse in the mouth.
Have you ever had an enormous "Duh!?" moment when you figure out the cause of a problem was something obvious or at least fixable while you rushed around trying complicated solutions?
I just had a moment like that this week. After months of seeing doctors for pain and being diagnosed with arthritis while still comfortably on the foot of that big hill called "the late 20s," I've found a culprit to pin it on. Now there is more than one reason, take 15 years of dance damage, years of high heels to boost my 5'1'' height, slouching (sorry mom!), two births, and not enough lifting with the legs and anyone would be hurting at least a little. But for the amount of pain I've been in, there was more.
Four doctors and 6 months didn't bring an answer. I had a flash of brilliance one morning sitting in my bed. My bed which is really a mattress and box spring on the floor. A mattress and box spring we were given 2 years ago. Two years ago when my parents friends were redoing their bedroom furniture. Every piece of furniture in my bedroom is a hand-me-down. And apparently my back could handle a used dresser, but the used mattress had sprung it's last spring.
I don't think I've had a new mattress since I was a toddler and got my first bed (which is currently in the kiddos room). I don't know what a new mattress feels like! The definitive test came when I slept last night on the newest mattress in the house. A year old Ikea special. I woke up with a bit more bounce, and considering I'm not a morning person, that's not bad.
I buy second hand everything apart from undergarments & kitchen utensils. I think I'm going to be adding mattresses to that small list. The fact that something free, that didn't seem so bad had been causing so much trouble is disturbing. Wouldn't a bad mattress feel bad? I thought it would, how wrong I was! How can you gauge the life a second hand find has left in it? How can you be sure a bargain will be all it's cracked up to be? Unlike the salvation army finds languishing in my closet in the "seemed like a good idea at the time" section, this "treasure" was every man's trash.
Even scarier, I read an article (never Google while under duress) about obesity and poor sleep. I'm resisting the urge to throw out all the mattresses in the house and get new ones. This seems like overreacting, but when I tell you that the oldest mattress is at least 20 years old, and the others are of indeterminant age, you'll forgive my fervor.
First the bed bug scare, now back pain. I won't be discouraged from foraging, thrifting, or curb hunting, but I've definitely learned the hard way that sometimes you do have to look that gift horse in the mouth.
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