Marc's Esophageal Cancer Story

diagnosis | surgery | chemo & rad | afterward | resources

constructing an inclined bed...

Prototype inclined bed frame first built March 4, 1995
Plans created December 23, 1997 by Marc Wolfgram

Additional comments after years of use...

This simple solution has several benefits over an articulated hospital-style bed:

1. My design is cheaper than any deductable, and most insurance co-pay amounts. I spent all of $25.00 US on the materials in 1995.
2. Articulated beds bend at the hip and knee positions to elevate the head in a horizontal "S" shape. This is very uncomfortable for those of us who sleep on our sides. This design elevates the head while leaving the mattress flat, eliminating that problem.
3. This design makes use of your existing bed, box-spring and mattress. Mine fits inside the beautiful four-poster Queen Anne (or some such royalty) bed that Tammy loves so much, and I so much prefer to sleep with her.
4. I received an e-mail recently from someone building their bed frame. The foam mattress they use needed to be supported with a solid base. To solve this you could add a plywood top to the frame. 3/8" is probably sufficient for this purpose. I wouldn't recommend anything thinner.

Some construction notes:

1. If I were to make another frame I would only change one thing: Instead of using 2x8 inch lumber for the side rails, I would use a 2x10. While I have had far fewer problems with night time reflux with my bed, I still occasionally aspirate "stuff", and I believe that another two inches of height at the head end would reduce that considerably.
2. My brother, an architect, mentioned that dry-wall screws don't have the shear strength of conventional wood screws. I pointed ot that the side rails support the majority of the weight and there is little shear force on the screws. I haven't had, or heard from anyone, of any problem with screw failure. To be absolutely safe, you may want to use conventional wood screws.
3. Use some wax on the screw threads before assembling this. It helps the screws go in easier and keeps them tight.
4. A good portion of the side rail may be visible. You may wish to stain or paint the sides to complement you bed frame.

If you have any questions or comments, please send me an email.

-- Marc

diagnosis | surgery | chemo & rad | afterward | resources