Review: I tried a movie theater with recliners because of my chronic health conditions

I FINALLY got to see Avengers: Endgame a few weeks ago!

(Don’t worry, this post is spoiler-free!)

I’ll share what I thought of trying a movie theater with recliners for the first time, as well as some tips for going to the movies with dysautonomia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other chronic illnesses.

I had been wanting to see Endgame for weeks, having waited a whole year after that cliff hanger. I was carefully avoiding spoilers in conversations and online. (I had to quit Pinterest after seeing two spoiler-y things. And I’m glad I didn’t look up the meaning of two things I saw on Facebook—I figured they were Marvel-related, and after seeing the movie, I’m so glad I didn’t, because they were indeed spoilers!)

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small portion of sales, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog through your purchase!  

You might be like—so what Cassie? You went to a movie theater. Like most of humanity, you had to dodge a few spoilers?

This was actually a pretty major outing for me because of my health conditions and because my health has made me miss so many movies on the big screen. Some backstory…

Movies & Chronic Illness

Despite being a huge Marvel fan, I didn’t get to see any Marvel movies in theater prior to seeing Avengers: Infinity War last year. Surprise, surprise, I was always too sick, or couldn’t find someone to go with, or by the time I got around looking up tickets, the movies were no longer in theaters—or all three! I swear, it was like I’d get a cold, blink, and then the movies were on their way to DVD.

So I wasn’t going to miss seeing Infinity War on a big screen.

The problem is, I have a hard time even watching intense/action/thriller movies on a small screen because of my dysautonomia, chronic fatigue (ME/CFS), and endocrine and adrenal problems. Occasionally my asthma and migraines like to flare up from movies too, just for fun.

My body does not handle stress, visual stimuli, or loud/continuous noise very well. I had to stop watching anything remotely action-related for a few months in 2018 because my body was reacting so badly.

Even now, I’m still pretty careful to not watch too many action movies, and I try to only watch them during the daytime, so my body can have some time to recover. If I don’t, I often set myself up for tachycardia that turns into insomnia, and awful fatigue. Oh, and just for fun, my fibromyalgia likes to flare up and turn my muscles into painful knots like I’m made up entirely of clenched fists. Lovely.

Added to all that—my body doesn’t like me to sit up for long periods of time. And often “twenty minutes” or up to “one hour” is what my body now decides is “long.” Ugh, thank you dysautonomia! Nervous system disorders really suck and make it hard to plan outings. Fibromyalgia adds to the uncertainty too.

So while I was really happy I got to see Infinity War in theaters, it made all my health problems flare up badly. Very badly.

That day, I got home and spent over two hours collapsed on the floor with my feet propped up in a chair feeling like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Even then my tachycardia didn’t let up, keeping me awake into the early morning. I finally woke up about 11:30 the next day, feeling like I hadn’t gotten any rest. I spent the rest of the day lying around except for going to an evening service at church. I continued to have really bad fatigue and increased aching for another week, but that was at least in part due to a major weather change. But still, with chronic illness, we can pay for an activity for a LONG time afterwards.

But I wasn’t going to miss Endgame. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a year (I even bought a copy of The Infinity Gauntlet because twelve months was way too long to wait for at least a glimpse at what would happen!) But I wanted to avoid the aftermath of a trip to the theater.

So, this was going to take planning. And it was also going to take trying something new, like recliners.

Here’s how I made it to the movies and survived Engame.

Preparing for Moviegoing

I looked up showtimes for the morning, because I knew going to the movies early would allow my body more time to recover before bed. I planned for the potential of a rough morning, selecting multiple showtimes as options, in case I couldn’t get out of the house when I planned.

I scheduled a massage for later in the day since my fibromyalgia was probably going to flare up. I had hopes that the seats would be comfortable, but even comfortable seats can make my body freak out if I’m sitting for an extended time, especially if I’m watching an intense movie.

I set out notes to increase the supplements that help me sleep as well as I reminder to use my ice pack to calm down my tachycardia once I got home.

And I made sure to fill in my movie buddy (in this case, my dad!). I let him know all that I had packed in case I needed help getting any of my meds, etc. I also let him know that I planned to close my eyes during part of the previews to try to prevent them getting tired before the movie actually started. (Did you know dysautonomia affects your vision? My eyes get blurry, dry, and worn out.) I didn’t want my dad to think I’d fallen asleep, or worse, had passed out! I ended up just closing my eyes a little bit. I also let him know that I’d like him to walk with me if I needed to leave the theater to go to the restroom. I get very wobbly and appreciated have someone to walk back and forth with. I think if we help prep those who are helping us, we feel more comfortable asking for help, and they feel more comfortable because they know what to expect and ways to help. I also don’t feel bad about needing help or feel like an inconvenience because I let them know ahead of time what I might need.

What I brought with me to the theater:

I knew I would need to have tools on hand in the theater to keep my chronic conditions at bay. Here’s what I packed or wore:

Compression socks—I wear these most of the time because of dysautonomia. They help my heart not have to work as hard because of my low blood pressure by keeping my blood from pooling in my legs.

Last year, I wore my favorite sweats to the movies for comfort. Normally I reserve these for doctor’s appointments, but I figured a loose fit was more important that looking fashionable. (After all, I’d be in a dark movie theater anyway.) This year, I opted for my favorite jeggings (which I raved about here) instead for extra leg compression. I’m glad I did, and they were plenty comfortable while settled into a recliner.

Scarf—can be used as blanket in the theater since I often get chilled, while being small enough to roll up and fit into my purse.

Extra jacket—layering makes it easier for my temperate regulation if I overheat. But usually I end up using it as an additional blanket.

Meds—I was sure to take my medicine (and some Tylenol to get a little relief from my usual pain, so I’d be feeling as “well” as possible) and packed my thyroid and dysautonomia medication, and some supplements in case I needed them.

Soap—I carry my own in my purse because scented soap usually triggers my chemical sensitivities.

Ear plugs—I wore these just for the previews—and boy, were they loud!

Cotton—for putting in my ears during loud/battle scenes.

Tissues—because, Marvel.

Trying a movie theater with recliners

Overall, trying the recliners was a great experience!

They were easy to use—the foot rest was electric so I didn’t have to wrestle with a lever. This was also helpful because I could lower or raise it incrementally—a plus when abrupt changes in posture cause dysautonomia symptoms to flare. Allows you to change position more gradually.

The seats were also comfortable. They felt like a quality leather recliner. The foot rest came up to about a 45 degree angle, which I was glad of. (I hate when recliners only come up about half of that and leave me feeling like I’m going to slide off the seat!) I was a little surprised the recliner didn’t go back very far, but then again, I would have had trouble seeing the screen if I was tipped too far. It ended up being a perfect angle for watching the movie.

I also liked (since the seat next to me was empty) that my purse was right beside me at arm’s reach, vs, slung over an arm rest bumping my leg or almost falling through a seat that opens and closes. It was much easier to get to things when I needed them—it felt like I had a side table.

The only con—we had to pre-pick our seats when we bought our tickets. I was hoping to get seats on the same side of the exit so I wouldn’t have to walk as far to take a bathroom break mid-movie. We of course ended up on the opposite of the door. In the future, I’ll try to remember to get there early enough to ask.

I was definitely more comfortable and able to focus more on the movie vs. how my body was holding up.

How did I do after the movie?

I still was very wobbly when I slipped out to use the restroom about ¾ of the way through the movie. I almost tipped over in the bathroom, and I was praying I wouldn’t fall. That is the LAST place I want to end up on the floor. I feel like the wobbliness wore off more quickly after the movie than last time though.

My heart rate was very elevated when I got home, but it started to drop fairly quickly. The massage really helped loosen up my muscle tension. I fell asleep pretty typically too.

The next day I woke up at a normal time, and despite episodes of being super exhausted, I was able to go outside and help plant the garden. (Ok, I did almost fall over while in the garden from dizziness, but I think that was from bending over the plants!) That’s pretty huge for me the day after an outing, especially a movie!

I was hoping I’d be able to report that I felt great the following day, but I unfortunately started a bad autoimmune fever in the middle of the night. But I don’t think this was from the movie. My body doesn’t do delayed reactions—it lets me know it’s mad about something very quickly. So I think if I hadn’t had an autoimmune fever, I would have felt a ton better than the week after I saw Infinity War.

Conclusion: I don’t think I’ll go to another movie theater without recliners! It was a much better experience.

Have you seen a movie in a theater with recliners? Did it help your symptoms?
Which of my movie tips did you find most helpful? What tips do you have to share?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin