Altitude sickness is no joke!

Altitude sickness is no joke!
that's what Lady Gaga posted yesterday saying she'd been hospitalized for altitude sickness after her concert in Denver.

Altitude sickness (at it's worse it can become 'pulmonary edema' or 'cerebral edema') is an illness that ranges from a mild headache and weariness to a life-threatening build-up of fluid in the lungs or brain at high altitudes

Web MD has this to say.

What causes altitude sickness?

Air is "thinner" at high altitudes. When you go too high too fast, your body cannot get as much oxygen as it needs. So you need to breathe faster. This causes the headache and other symptoms of altitude sickness. As your body gets used to the altitude, the symptoms go away.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of altitude sickness include:
A headache, which is usually throbbing. It gets worse during the night and when you wake up.
Not feeling like eating.
Feeling sick to your stomach. You may vomit.
Feeling weak and tired. In severe cases, you do not have the energy to eat, dress yourself, or do anything.
Waking up during the night and not sleeping well.
Feeling dizzy.

They go on to say if you hear a sound like a paper bag being crumpled. These symptoms mean the condition is severe enough to be deadly!

Another website Emedicne

Roughly one fourth of Colorado ski area vacationers, two thirds of climbers on Mount Rainier, and half the people who fly to the Khumbu region of Nepal develop acute altitude sickness.

Most authorities will say Altitude sickness occurs above 8,000 feet. Yet Denver is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level - one mile high - and they see a large number of visitors, just like Lady Gaga suffering from Altitude sickness...

And it's one those things anyone can get... Even I feel it if I drive to the top of Pikes Peak... and I live in Colorado... it's more about how fast you go from a lower altitude to a higher one....

•For people who do not know the rate at which their bodies adjust to high altitude, the following preventive measures are recommended. ◦If traveling by air to a ski area above 8,250 feet (2,500 meters), incorporate a layover of 1-2 days at an intermediate altitude.
◦Avoid physical exertion for the first 24 hours.
◦Drink plenty of fluids, and avoid alcoholic beverages.
◦Consume a high-carbohydrate diet.
◦If mountain climbing or hiking, ascend gradually once past 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level
◦Increase the sleeping altitude by no more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) per 24 hours. The mountaineer's rule is "climb high, sleep low." This means that on layover days, a climber can ascend to a higher elevation during the day and return to a lower sleeping elevation at night. This helps to hasten acclimatization

Eat Foods High in Potassium
Foods such as broccoli, bananas, avocado, cantaloupe, celery, greens, bran, chocolate, granola, dates, dried fruit, potatoes and tomatoes will help you replenish electrolytes by balancing salt intake.

Eventually your body will adjust to the higher elevations... just don't expect that to happen overnight.

Of course in a real survival sit, taking a bunch of flat-foot low-landers up as high as you can as fast as you can...might just give you and edge...just be careful you don't fall into your own trap.

I saw an episode of Top Gear in which the gang used Viagra to stave off altitude sickness when they were in the Andes. I guess it also helps with blood flow to the brain.

My wife got severly sick, while on a skiing trip to colorado. She never recovered the entire time we were at a high altitude. I guess some peoples bodies just cant adjust to the lack of oxygen fast enough.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Hum... Viagra uh?

Viagra is kind of a funny drug... it was designed to lower blood pressure originally only during the drug trails
they discovered it had a rather marketable side effect...

I wonder what Viagra has in it that would stave off altitude sickness?

a reply to: Glassbender777

My wife and I were born and raised here in Colorado... But work lead us to live in other places California, NC, Kansas.
Born and raised here but still... when we moved back this passed fall the wife and I both took a week of getting reacclimated... the kids had no trouble at all... nothing phases those damn little monkeys!

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I saw an episode of Top Gear in which the gang used Viagra to stave off altitude sickness when they were in the Andes. I guess it also helps with blood flow to the brain.

Hehe, I saw that episode too.

3 guys ripped to the tits on Viagra... I must admit that I was extremely worried for Richard "The hamster" Hammond

On a more serious note :

Sildenafil citrate is best known as Viagra, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.

The drug was originally developed to relieve high blood pressure. It causes blood vessels in certain tissues, such as the lungs, to relax.

This improves blood flow from the heart and increases oxygen transport to working muscles.

Because the high altitude atmosphere contains less oxygen, it is more difficult to get enough oxygen to support strenuous physical activity than it is at sea level.

Link here : www.sciencedaily.com...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

So that's why it works.... thanks for the info...

you forgot to add taking Viagra comes in handy if your gonna hang out with Colorado's famous 'Snow-Bunnies' too!

originally posted by: HardCorps
a reply to: Rodinus

So that's why it works.... thanks for the info...

you forgot to add taking Viagra comes in handy if your gonna hang out with Colorado's famous 'Snow-Bunnies' too!

Oh crikey... being European I have just Googled Colorado Snow bunnies... oOOOOer!

If Mrs R permits, I think I will be taking a miss from our annual skiing holiday in the French Alps and coming over to Colorado for a little "erm" cultural trip...

*Ducks as Mrs R chucks a plate at his head*

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

Maybe now you'll understand just why so many skiers run into trees every year...
Snow Bunnies and Altitude sickness can seriously impair judgment... winkz...

a reply to: HardCorps

I'd just add that, just because you never experienced it before, it can still occur. I've spent time above 12,000 feet many times without experiencing it, while a simple trip to Colorado, where I probably went no higher than 6,000 feet, I did - it's really debilitating, it was similar in some ways to a bad migraine. And I've been back to those altitudes without a repeat.

I think it might've been a combination of inadequate hydration on my flight out (most airlines do not provide adequate water in-flight) and the change in altitude - I usually bring water on-board but forgot) - as I began to feel ill, I realized I was badly dehydrated and went and bought some Gatorade and water, but I guess it was too late, it continued to progress for awhile.

So, on a long flight to Colorado, try to fly in a more modern jet, like a 777, which has better pressurization, and drink lots of fluids in the hours leading up to your arrival - dunno if that "works" -- but it can't hurt.

a reply to: squittles

They use a compressor to raise the pressure in an airplane.
that compressor also strips a lot of the moisture out of the air at the same time.

Your right that in newer aircraft their better at managing...
but that super dry air has the same effect on me... making me weak and feeling sicker than a dog...

Kool-Aid with a pinch of salt works for me...

Couple of years ago I went travelling through South America. One time I hopped off of a plane in Cuzco, and about 2 hours later I was in some greasy spanish hospital getting my (ruptured) spleen removed. Probably the shyttiest 2 1/2 weeks of my life.

Thanks high altitude..

What a light weight she should go to mt evans. 14k ft up and perform.

originally posted by: HardCorps
Altitude sickness is no joke!
that's what Lady Gaga posted yesterday saying she'd been hospitalized for altitude sickness after her concert in Denver.

That guy needs to work on his cardio... If he spent half the effort on strength and conditioning that he does on those ridiculous outfits he would have no problems whatsoever...

I'll be driving "down" to the flatlander town that is Denver this afternoon...

Seems a bit weird, the internal cabin pressure of commercial planes is set anywhere between 5,000 (A380) to 8000 feet so you'd think 5,280 wouldn't be a problem.

Just another tid-bit for any fellow party animals venturing to higher elevations:

When people say "you may want to pace yourself until you become acclimated", LISTEN TO THEM.

My first trip out to Denver I drank the same amount and at the same rate that I usually would at home here on the East Coast while checking out the local pubs. I spent the entire next day, more hung over than I ever thought possible, touring the Garden of the Gods while stopping for puke breaks.

Not cool, Oxygen.

I usually can handle at least a 6 pack of decently strong microbrews at home, if not a few more in addition to a shot or 2, before I get buzzed here on the East Coast. In Colorado? I was in the bag within 2 beers!

I've only had altitude sickness once. When I climbed Mt. Fuji, which Wikipedia tells me is at 12,389 feet. And which my branded souvenir walking stick tells me is at 12, 395 feet.

My biggest mistake was completing the climb in approximately 3 hours and not allowing my body time to acclimate. So I get to the top, which was freaking cold when you only bring a t-shirt FYI, and my head just starts pounding. Worst headache of my life. And then a bit of nausea. I tried to ignore it and wait for others that I came with to reach the top but I ended up bailing after 30 minutes. I just couldn't take it anymore.

So back down I went. By the time I was about a quarter way down the mountain, I was feeling ok again. Went to the shop at the base of the mountain and had a delicious bowl of ramen. Then went to a hot springs and relaxed with a small rag covering my junk (seriously, it customary to go in naked). Then took a bus back to the naval base in Sasebo.

I felt just fine as soon as I dropped altitude. It was like I never felt sick in the first place. Full bounce back. Pretty much no recovery time aside from the long walk down the mountain necessary.