"...GF won't let me put it in the bed. Is that wrong..."

If you would want something like a pack to work its way between you and a warm body, you do indeed have issues.

As for the pad, last week I pulled my Thermarest out of the pod on our car for the first time in a couple of years. Unrolled it, opened the valve, let it breathe for a few hours, gave it a dozen or so puffs of air (I know that puts moisture in the thing, etc, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do). Slept like a baby for three nights...