Credit: Pexels
By Emily Truell
Most people love Halloween—costumes, treats, and going out late in the dark! But it can be scary, for real, for people who have balance or other sensory issues. Here are my tips for keeping your ghoul—I mean cool.
First before I forget, always bring earplugs to any Halloween or haunted house events. These events can be loud and we want to be prepared with hearing protection.
I had a vestibular schwannoma, also called an acoustic neuroma, which is when a noncancerous tumor develops on the vestibular (balance) nerve, affecting both balance and hearing. I assist my hearing loss with a bone anchored hearing aid. But for my balance, there isn’t a straightforward fix. I have to be aware of potential situations that challenge my balance to be sure I can avoid accidents.
When planning a costume, I keep in mind that compromising my eyesight can make it a lot harder for balance. It’s better to skip a full face mask or other costume that will dim the world. When out and about in the dark, I’m careful to bring a good light source so I am prepared to navigate the darkness, especially with crowds of other trick or treaters (including my own family).
Uneven ground is tougher for balance. A lot of autumn events—corn maze, pumpkin patch, haunted houses—are in places that are not level. Participating in these events can challenge even those with good balance.
I would really recommend doing the first two in daylight and not participating in evening or night events as that will make balance significantly harder. In a haunted house bringing your own light will likely not be allowed, so consider holding a hand or even bringing a walking stick or cane along.
Strobe lights are a common Halloween effect. Since my brain surgery, I cannot handle strobe lights at all. It completely overwhelms my vestibular system and I feel extremely nauseous and cannot walk. When I think there might be strobe lights at an event, I have a buddy plan so I can close and cover my eyes and have the buddy lead me through that section of a haunted house. Otherwise, usually the staff has a workaround where I can take a different path to avoid the strobe light area.
On the topic of haunted houses, there is a particular feature that often comes up that absolutely messes with a brain with a damaged balance nerve. It’s called a vortex tunnel. It has walls with lines and it spins, making a person with typical balance feel uneven or dizzy. For me, it makes me feel completely unable to move. Again I recommend closing your eyes and using the hand rail or having someone lead you through the space (or ask a staff member to lead you around it).
Even with these challenges, I am a total fan of the extended Halloween season. There are a lot of great activities and joy to be found in fall events. I just recommend using a few of these tricks to ensure your Halloween is a treat.
Emily Truell lives in Wisconsin and works in the tourism industry. This is adapted from her blog The “Lucky” Brain Tumor, at luckybraintumor.com. She previously shared her story about getting her diagnosis and a bone anchored hearing aid that was also in the Fall 2023 issue of Hearing Health magazine.
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