Ann, i certainly could not say if my sensitivity to chemicals (signaled by their smells in some cases) is due to MS in any part. I know people with Porphyria have this. It is a good question to which I have NO answer.
Some people are just plain "chemically sensitive" without any other dx attached to it, and this can be very severe. I get the newsletter of the Chemically Injured Information Network, "Our Toxic Times." Many there are more sensitive than I am.
I have all sorts of inconvenient chem sensitivities. One is to printer's ink. I cannot take a newspaper subscription because they roll the papers up soon after producing them. I can buy a paper from a news stand because they are laid flat and consequently outgas.

my father suffered all of his life from Porphyria, and he worked in a newspaper office that was horribly smelly. I used to visit him there often. he had no idea what the chemicals were doing to him, but he knew that the flourescent lights got to him. So when the newspaper moved to a new building, he had his department designed without flourescent lights. Driving by the newspaper, even after he was gone, I would look up at one corner of the building which had incandescent lights, and think of him.

DH is going to take me on a shopping trip to the big city! we are going to flop on mattresses, and roll around till we see one we like.

I am thinking about the latex one because it lasts so long and takes a beating. Even the salesmen tell me that the memory foam ones sleep hot, and suggest a gel infused memory foam. hmm....so many things to think about. With the last mattress I went for price vs comfort. This time i am remembering that I spend a lot of time in bed.

We should go in a few days. maybe I will do a montage of us mattress hopping.

Please do...or a video!!

Tempurpedic, now comes in a variety now. Not just one "soft" or "hard" If I could afford it, this would be my choice. I have looked. I have a 4" topper, with memory foam, and this has to do for now. I am hot sleeping too, and I don't think the new ones will make it worse. Good luck in finding one to suit you. Take your time looking Dej. ginnie

I was having major issues with our pillow top mattress. I like a medium to firmer bed and my husband likes a softer bed. I had to do something because I was waking up in so much pain I knew it wasn't just my MS, it was more. MS, DDD and Sleep Apnea, I knew I had to do something. Tempurpedic was out of the question because of the cost and I was also concerned about the heat.
I searched and searched and came across a memory foam mattress on overstock. King Size for 260 I thought it was worth the shot. Omg what an amazing bed! Biopedic 10" is a gift from above! After the first night I woke up with no back or knee pain and I actually slept through the whole night, I couldn't believe it! They are quite firm but they contour to your body so well. If you like a soft mattress then it may not be for you, but I have felt so much better since we got it. I'm looking for a better supportive pillow now to top it off!

Good Luck!

Sorry I meant Bodipedic!

I am planning a trip to the city and we are going mattress hopping. if I find one I like, I will go on line and get a cheaper version of it.

Im quite worried about the sleeping hot thing, as I already sleep hot on an innerspring.

Thanks for the tips!

Dej - They have "cooling" mattress pads that you can use. I know we have discussed them on here before but can't remember what thread. Maybe another mattress thread. Someone got one and said it worked real well for them.

Anyhow, I cannot sleep on a memory foam, Temperapedic type mattress at all. I have tried and for me, it is awful. Between the constant hug and all the spasms and jerking around I do at night the memory foam mattress do not have enough give in them when I am spasming/jerking. Again, this has been my experience with them. I got a new mattress that is firmer but has some give in it and have done real well with it. I got a Sealy Forest Cove - Firm. When I first got it, it was a little too firm but I knew that - it just needed to be broken in. It wasn't cheap but has been well worth it.

Let us know what you decide and good luck mattress shopping.

see!? this is exactly why i started this thread. I was ever so tempted to get the memory foam, and now that I have read so many experiences I am glad I didnt. I mean if I am sweating, and hot and miserable on an innerspring, what makes me think a foam (dont they use foam to insulate houses?) would be any cooler? I would rather be cold, and wrap up with blankets than sweat and be uncovered.

The hunt continues. I do want an adjustable base tho. I want to be able to sit up and watch TV or play my game or just relieve the hug. Sometimes laying flat makes the hug go crazy!

I got a memory foam topper of 4". I could not afford the temperpedic either, though that is what I truely wish I had. Not sure I will ever come up with that much. The memory foam does help me too. Have a good nights sleep aussiemom,. ginnie