Altitude sickness

I'm 61, live at sea level and have been to higher elevations with no problems. We were at Eisenhower Tunnel and Steamboat without any problems.

Bill

Wow! Someone else with my exact issue!. Had this awful problem several years ago when camping in Yellowstone at 8400 feet. Same thing....not bad at day but middle of night I started to feel like " there was not enough oxygen in the air....awful feeling...and scary. Went through two nights like that before we figured out what was going on. Headed down the road and problem just disappeared once I was below 5000 or 6000 feet.

Did as you did...saw a doctor with similar results. He did suggest I start taking Ferrel Sequels iron supplement before ascending altitude again so I got some. I started taking multi-vitamins with iron supplement regularly.

I also purchased several cans of oxygen to keep in our motor home....got them from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Boost-Oxygen-Natural-Energy-Ounce/dp/B005SUEVHU

I really have not stayed at such elevation since that episode years ago, but I have used a couple breaths of the canned oxygen a few times at night when staying around 6000 feet. I don't know if I was starting mild altitude sickness or just having slight mental panic ...but the oxygen seemed to alleviate the issue. It is calming just to know I have it.

Good luck!

So I live up here... :) Take this with a grain of salt, but sometimes I think my breathing issues are compounded by my thoughts. If I find myself thinking about how thin the air is at 12,000' then it just plays on my mind. And seems to get worse.

First off altitude sickness should be taken seriously. If your doctor thinks you're OK, then what you could do is pop into an Urgent Care someplace at altitude and have them give you a thumbs up too. If anyone's going to know alot about it, it'll be the docs in Dillion or Silverthorne for example.

Instead of oxygen, you might try BreatheRite strips. Those nose bandaids that really open up your nose. I've found they also help me get over the mental barrier and I can relax.

Know that it takes alot of us 3-5 days to acclimate. Those of us on the older side of the hill are probably closer to 5. Five days for your body up ramp up red blood cell production.

Fluids help with the headaches but some folks just never seem to acclimate.

If nothing seems to help, then I'd discuss the use of a Portable Oxygen *Concentrator* with your doctor. My guess is that would be a much more reasonable first step.

The Argentine soccer team has found a solution for Altitude Sickness.
Link. Talk to your doctor. Might work for you.

Oh yeah - obviously those of us who just *drive* around at altitude are at much lesser risk that those who get out and walk or do some other form of exertion.

rv2go, very interesting...I wonder if that means those soccer players have one more body part with which to hit the soccer ball?

To the OP, you might want to buy a finger pulse oximeter and check your oxygen level at different altitudes. My spouse needs supplemental oxygen above about 4000 ft. The decline in the oximeter readings (without oxygen) as we drive higher and higher is amazing, whereas mine barely declines.

I agree to go to an Urgent Care facility while at high altitude. Test results may be completely different than at home. You might also want to ask your doctor to do an overnight sleep test to see if you need a CPAP machine and/or supplemental oxygen. But again, could be different at high elevation.

When my mother comes to visit us here in Colorado from Arizona she definitely feels the altitude. She got a prescription and bought a portable O2 concentrator which keeps her comfortable even when we go up in the mountains. Many people rent them when they come here to visit.

Miles

Thanks so much for the replies.I will try Ed Gee's suggestion on the iron supplements.Also will ask my Dr. about the oxygen concentrator,sounds like a combination of treatment might produce the best results.However I like rv2 go;s suggestion the best,LOL. I did however have my Dr. prescribe a blood pressure medication once. I don't remember what it was called but he said it also helped to expand blood vessels and increase blood flow thus oxygen supply to the body.I was unable to take it because of a side effect so I don't know if it would have helped or not.Thanks again for the suggestions, please keep them coming.
Ramp

Take altitude sickness seriously; the advanced stages of it can kill you. Even the early stages are a pain, as you have discovered. I have had troubles with it for years, usually cope with the "climb high, sleep low" method. For me, this can be hiking at 10K+ feet and going back down the hill to a camp at 7K feet in California's Eastern Sierra. The problem for me does seem to be getting worse as I age.

Reputable info can be found online at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/chapter-2-the-pre-travel-consultation/altitude-illness

U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000133.htm

Good luck!

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
Take altitude sickness seriously; the advanced stages of it can kill you. Even the early stages are a pain, as you have discovered. I have had troubles with it for years, usually cope with the "climb high, sleep low" method. For me, this can be hiking at 10K+ feet and going back down the hill to a camp at 7K feet in California's Eastern Sierra. The problem for me does seem to be getting worse as I age.

Reputable info can be found online at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/chapter-2-the-pre-travel-consultation/altitude-illness

U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000133.htm

Good luck!

Thanks for the link's.A lot of VERY GOOD info there.I will study them very closely.