Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Cushion? Mattress? What do you do?

its a "stool" with a cushioned top on a spring that moves up and down, and in all directions, completely mobile. great for keeping the lower back strong. won't fatigue the upper back like most chairs do for me. i thought it might be the thing to buy because before i got one, would sit on the very edge of chairs to get the right pelvic tilt, then would usually rock on it. the swopper allows me to do all this naturally. you can loosen or tighten the spring as much as you want. it only really moves as much as you want it to. kind of like the ball chair might be for balance but a lot more dynamic. got one at work, so didn't have to pay out of my pocket, after a year, bought one for home as well, this time out of my pocket. about $600 but can't put a price on my health if i find something that makes me productive vs the opposite.

here's a link where i bought mine:
http://sitincomfort.com/swopper.html

may be able to get them cheaper elsewhere. i got the normal cushioned top. had read that the temperpedic degrades faster over time, don't know if that's true. though they come in a number of cheery snazzy colors, i went with the safe charcoal grey both times.

Hi Bleecker
I have an air matress, like the "Sleep Number". I've had it 11 years and love it. I can adjust the firmness of my side to whatever is comfortable for me that particular night and not bother the wife's settings.

I don't stand in line well.. Usually includes lots of moving from one leg to the other, heavy sighing, mumbling expletives, sometimes just saying heck with it and leaving.

Being a slight 6'5" and 300# I prefer big sturdy comfortable furniture. Our living room has big leather couch and love seat. A little low for me post surgery, but normally very comfortable. I use mesh office chairs, they are very comfortable and cool to sit in. And have some trusty high bar chairs that are really nice when the ol bones are aching and you just don't feel like picking yourself up off a couch or chair.

I guess we have to use furniture that fits us the best, for the way we feel at the time, sometimes adding or removing pillows to get it "just right". We generally make our homes as AS friendly as possible. In the kitchen everything that I need is in upper cupboards, we have one of the french door refrigerators with the freezer drawer in the bottom, this moves the items in the fridge up to a heighth that doesn't require much bending, and the lesser used frozen items to the bottom, but still accessible. I have a house with a walk out basement, so I use the basement for my shop, there is a full bath with a step in shower, we added a fridge and microwave, so once I go downstairs in the mornings I don't have to climb stairs all day to get something eat, drink, or to go to the bathroom. The vehicles are also at the basement level, so I can go right out and to my truck and easily load or unload things to and from the shop.

Hi Bleeker,
Welcome to KA. I sleep on a folded blanket over a thick carpet on the floor. I sleep quite comfortable. I used to use a soft mattress which wasn't good at all. I sleep much better on a flat surface.

Interesting. Even this little survey shows how much variation there is.

Hi Nancy,

Yep, giving up the social events is a big one isn't it!

Funnily enough, it was the one thing my insurance doctor didn't ask about! Yet social life is a big factor of our enjoying life.

I tried to join a singing group but found they all SIT in a circle. I felt to embarrassed to be the only one standing.

I have to decline invites to barbeques etc because I can't last more than an hour, and then would be in pain afterwards.

I used to go out all the time, and am now house bound. I can't even go to Parents without Partners because I can't sit long enough for their quiz nights, card nights and get togethers.

Their other activity is playing badmington each week - right out as well.

BUT, I've adapted to it, and am happy to take my dog for a couple of walks a day.

All the best,

James

there are occasions where standing is more difficult than others. i've thought for those times to have one of those canes with the little seat built into the cane would be really convenient.

Hi and Welcome Bleecker,
You're right it has been interesting reading all of the different ways we try to make ourselves a little more comfortable.
I have always been amazed that it is recommended to lie flat on our backs. I could not do that if you paid me. My hips freeze up and I am in unbearable pain. I have to sleep on my right side, (bursitis in left hip). I have a sleep number bed and I think I sleep pretty well. A little Ambien helps too.
And as for standing in lines, forget it! If I am having a reasonable day that is one way to really mess it up.
I spend a lot of time in a recliner in our family room. (When I am not driving the kids all over town to their activities, which are numerous. I clocked 800 miles in 2 1/2 weeks!)
Anyway I hope you find the right recipe for your pain relief and comfort.

Thanks. My actual name is Nancy Sculerati. If you are one of the people who uses pub med - you can find my publications. You may have to fiddle with the settings because it been almost 10 years since I published anything.

I was an Ear Nose and Throat surgeon. In Academic medicine in Manhattan. Many of my publications and research had to do with gathering actual data on standard teachings.

Very often, what is in text book is what a MD professor believes is true and had read is true. The more it is said, and the more places it appears in "print" (ink or electrons) the more it is believed.

Most every textbook I have read states that good pain relief is obtained with NSAIDs for most SpA patients. The implication is narcotics are not usually required. I mean, if you have a GP who goes to the trouble of reading about your disease, this is what they are likely to find.

There is one research paper from Turkey where the clinicians had a group of about 70 (as I remember) AnkSpA patients. They asked themselves - how true is that? And then asked the patients, followed them prospectively for 3 months.

NSAIDs were NOT effective in more than half of the patients.
I'll go back and dig up that paper and post it. Believe me, getting data is hard work, it may sound easy, but the records have to be great, no matter what else is going on the research question has to be addressed every visit or that subject can't really be included in the results.

Wow, Nancy, that explains so much!!

And what utter tripe!! NSAIDS do not work for a ton of SpA patients and far too many only get relief from narcotics. OOOOHHHHH it just makes me want to spit how something gets published and all of a sudden it's gospel. GRRRRRRRR!!!!

Thanks very much. And thank you for sharing your background. It's good to know there's another brain contributing here that doesn't go into spasm over all the polysyllabic convoluted language contained in some of these reports.

Warm hugs,

Thank you for telling us what many of us had began to believe. I know that as a person with IBD, I have to be careful what NSAIDS I take. I can take Mobic, it helps, but does not stop my AS pain. I found that I had to combine it with Ultram and then later Norco to find relief.
Donna