Meniere's Disease Support Group

Meniere's disease is a balance disorder of the inner ear. The symptoms of Meniere's are variable; not all sufferers experience the same symptoms. However, "classic Meniere's" is considered to comprise the following four symptoms: Periodic episodes of rotary vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a sensation of fullness or pressure in one or both ears.

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/ Meniere's Disease Support Group

Movie theater

jwlee35
jwlee35
In yet another confusing twist with my condition, I suggested to my wife that we drop the kiddos off at the grandparents and go out to eat and catch a movie. I know, theaters=bad news, but my wife suffers through this as well because I'm sure at times it feels like she's taking care of 3 kids instead of 2. Well, we sat in the back row all the way at the end of the row so I could make a quick getaway if needed. There was just enough room between the last seat and the wall for me to slide through, (I tested it before the movie started just to be sure, lol) Well, with the whole place almost empty and seats everywhere, this big group of people crowd in where we are, leaving no empty seats beside or in front of us. I didn't have a dizzy spell or lightheadness during the movie at all, but I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. I just attribute that to not really being confined with alot of people for a long time, but was surprised that the huge screen and loud speakers did nothing to set off my Meniere's. Does this sound strange to anyone else?? I know different people have different triggers but from what I've read a movie theater seems to be a pretty universal tirgger. Any thoughts?
manaci
manaci
I haven't been in a movie theater since The Sound of Music.
claymom
claymom
Hi jwlee. I'm in my 7th year of Meniere's, and now find that noise is no longer such a trigger as it used to be. I think because my hearing in the affected ear is so far gone, I no longer get "recruitment" (I think that's what its called), where the damaged hear tries to make things louder to hear them better, but it just ends up being painful and setting off the vertigo. I don't know if this is your situation, but I do know we are all different. It could be you just had a good night. I know that happens sometimes, too. I don't necessarily think you have to give up the theater. I used to wear ear plugs, and as long as my ear wasn't very "active" at the time, I handled movies ok. I could always tell before hand whether I was in a place where I could handle it or not. So yeah, a lot of times I just didn't go, but other times I did. I'm sorry for the crowd (people can be so thoughtless at times) but I'm glad you got to enjoy the movie without symptoms:-)
Rebecca
P.S. I used to close my eyes during certain scenes, too. I'm sure you know the type...lots of zooming, or twirling, etc.
jwlee35
jwlee35
claymom- I don't have any hearing loss in my affected ear, which also confuses me. Also, the eye movement has always been an issue for me, even way before Meniere's. I used to have to take motion sickness medicine to watch certain movies, (the Blair Witch Project comes to mind) and play certain video games. But we did have a great time.
RachelT
RachelT
I am so glad you had a great time!!!! I hope your wife gets a "date" again soon.
kimeeib
kimeeib
i will find out the 3rd if i do ok glad u had a good time panic attacks sucks i know that
deleted_user
deleted_user
Jwlee

Sounds to me that you did the best thing you could do, that was sit in the back of the theater. This is important because it allows you to see the whole screen without moving your head or eyes back and forth. Without knowing it you deactivated one of the vertigo triggers! The sound is still my biggest issue and as claymom says, I too should be packing a set of ear plugs. For me the smaller theater rooms work better, the sound is not so loud! When the sound is to loud I can not make out what anyone is saying. If you get a copy of your hearing test you can see where your high and low decibel range is. I have a couple of surround sound movie set ups at the house, I never play them very high, just at a range that helps my hearing. With regular TV I often use closed captioning.

I am glad this worked for you! As Rachel says "date" again soon, this is very important to keep the marriage going and communication lines open!

God bless!

Rich