At 13,000 feet above sea level, you can easily catch Altitude Sickness on this mountain!
You’re at a concert…just getting ready for your first beer…the band is about to step out on stage and then you get it…that one phone call. The next thing you know is that you’re speeding back to the apartment via taxi where your good friend (visiting for the week from your hometown) is lying in bed, sick…really sick and needs to go to the hospital.
Have you been there? I have…just recently too. Maybe it’s even you with the sickness…and at such a high elevation, altitude sickness can sometimes become a serious matter! So the question is:
“What are the symptoms of altitude sickness?”
…and…
“How do I get rid of them?”
Let’s get into this a little…
So what are the symptoms? Well, they can vary but the most prevalent are:
High Fever
Headache
Stomach Illness (Vomiting, loss of appetite, etc.)
Nausea or Dizziness
Fatigue
Lack of Sleep
Although in most cases altitude sickness can seem pretty mild, there are chances that this could become a serious matter. For instance, when my buddy Gonzo came to visit me a few weeks back, he unfortunately came down with a bad case of altitude sickness with fevers constantly running up to 104 Degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty crazy right?
So after getting to the hospital and pumping Gonzo full of drugs & water, the high fever and killer headache finally subsided and we were able to enjoy ourselves. But what exactly were we supposed to do after that. Luckily, the nurse informed us of many things that we could do to help decrease the pressures of altitude sickness.
Now what were the doctors orders?
Drink lots of fluids!
Refrain from physical activities! (skiing, hiking, etc)
Take the prescriptions the way the doctor told you to!
Take Aspirin accordingly (It’s said that this thins the red blood cells & can reduce the amount of oxygen your body needs.)
Consume sugar based foods & drinks. (Gatorade, chocolate, etc.)
Is there anything else you can do? Of course! You can hopefully help prevent it from ever happening by taking preemptive strikes against it.
Other ways to treat & prevent altitude sickness:
Descend to a lower altitude as soon as possible.
Eats loads of carbohydrates! (That means pasta, cereal, bread, etc.)
Visit an oxygen bar for about 30 minutes. (Oxygen will improve oxygen saturation of the blood.)
Give yourself time to acclimate by first staying at a lower altitude location. (If you’re going to 8,000 feet, stay a night or two somewhere where it’s only 4,000 feet.)
I got altitude sickness in Cajamarca Peru. I just didn’t want to do anything. I was so letharic and did not even want to eat. It took me a few days to get over it.
Never had AMS affect me on either of my high altitude trips to Tibet or Ladakh which are two of the highest altitude places I’ve visited in the world. I usually keep myself well hydrated by drinking a lot of water and black tea.
Both are great things to help avoid altitude sickness. Consider yourself lucky though; I know a few people who’ve had it and they assured me it was no fun!