"We are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

"To sleep, perchance to dream."

A good night's sleep to someone with RA can, sometimes, be an illusion. I have struggled, in the last 3 years, to find a good night's sleep. It didn't help that the mattress and box springs were old. Consumer Reports recommends you replace the mattress every 10 years. Well, um, yes. That's nice. There are so many kinds and brands out there that you can be overwhelmed trying to decide what to buy and the prices match that confusion.

I felt that a new mattress and box springs would help me handle my RA. Dr. Francis agreed, but warned that the usual 2-5 days of getting used to a new mattress will be longer for me. I just needed to remember that. So, I set up a mattress fund with the target of getting a new one Veteran's Day weekend. Why then? Because that's the weekend for mattress sales. There's probably some reason lost to the mists of time, but the best deals on mattresses is Veteran's Day.

The week before, I spent hours perusing every sale flyer I could find. I had no idea what brand I wanted. I had a budget and I wanted the box springs so the price had to include the set, sales tax and delivery. I eliminated anyone who would not set the thing up for me or haul the old set at least as far as the curb for free. It does me no good to have someone drop them off at the front door if I have to do the rest. I can't.

After a week of reading and rereading and searching through ads, I settled on Bedding Experts. First of all, everything that seemed to meet my needs was at or below my target price. Secondly, there is a store in Wheaton. Lastly, they haul away the old mattress and box springs. Although it would have cost me just one garbage sticker per piece, they recycle old mattresses and box springs so nothing goes to a landfill. That's worth it to me. Sunday, November 10th, I bought a new set and scheduled delivery for the 15th. I took the day off to make sure all the furniture was moved, the floors swept and the bedroom made ready.

The girls knew something was up.

When I change the sheets, I use lavender linen spray on the mattress and the sheets. Lavender promotes relaxation and a restful sleep. I rolled up the mattress pad I have had on this bed for at least 2 years and set it aside. I received it from a friend who was replacing it. Given it's age, I'm going to just toss it. The delivery people wouldn't take the pad.

That was the first sign that something was up. My moving out some of the things I have in the bedroom was another clue. No sheets on the old mattress was yet another clue. I swept the bedroom and living room floors. The final clue something was up was when I moved the love seat recliners away from the wall directly adjacent to the front door.

It's so funny when I move furniture. Cats gravitate immediately to the now open spot. "OOOH. Look at the floor!" But, it looks like any other part of the living room floor. When I do the monthly thorough sweeping, the one where I move their boxes and the rugs and the chairs and the other furniture to sweep around and under and behind, they have to check out the newly opened space.

At 1:15 p.m., the delivery men were here. I marveled at how one guy lifted the mattress onto a shoulder and carried it to my front door. The girls fled with the footfalls on the front steps and the unknown people in the house moving things around. It took about a half hour to bring in, move out and set everything up.

My new set. This is a Sealy Posturepedic.

The big question is how am I sleeping?

Dr. Francis was right. (She should be, but sometimes you think you know more than they do, but I digress.) I am slowly adjusting. This set is taller than the old set. That is wonderful. Instead of getting down into bed, I bend my knees and slide across.

Mornings are always, always, rough for RA sufferers. Doctors don't know why. We seem to have the most pain in the mornings. Because this is new, I'm feeling that pain. I needed to use a cane to stand up Saturday through Monday. Tuesday was just sore. This was in my lower back. Today, there was no pain in my lower back until I sat down for breakfast.

Friday night was rough. I don't think I got more than 2 hours straight at any given time. I tossed and turned. The tossing and turning has eased. Last night, once I fell asleep, I stayed asleep until morning. I still toss and turn to fall asleep as I have not adjusted to the bed yet, but it's better. I'm thinking by Thanksgiving, I will be used to this and will find a quality of sleep I have not enjoyed in years.

I spent a decent sum on this. However, this is for my health. Once I have adjusted, I will be very happy and I think it will improve my RA.

The girls have adjusted happily to the new bed. They didn't seem to have any problems falling asleep on it right away. Oh to be a cat and able to sleep pretty much anywhere.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb