High Altitude Oxygen :(

[SPAWNmaster 0]

Hey guys...on my way to Machu Picchu and after a long day of flying and very cracked out from lack of sleep and being here at 11800ft in Cuzco, Peru...I'm in the lobby of the hotel using oxygen. Couldn't sleep...felt like I can't breathe...feeling hypoxic...just figured I'd vent here.

Anyone ever suffer a similar predicament?

[dgskydive 0]

Hope you feel well enough to make it all the way to Machu Picchu. My father is from Peru. Everyone in my family has been there, but me.

I am jealous.

Dom

[johnie 0]

BE CAREFUL! My friend went to machu pichu 2 years ago long story short she met up with some other tourists 5 went to sleep 4 woke up! One died in her sleep from altitude sickness.

No matter where you Go!"there you are"!

[dgskydive 0]

WHat a bummer. I wonder where she was from.

While in the Army we climbed Mt. Ranier. Two of our new privates where from Louisiana and they had to be rescued before they even got to Camp Muir. The pitfalls of living there entire lives below sea level.

Dom

[kbordson 8]

Actually, a couple of years back, I had some rather similiar symptoms in Colca Canyon right close to there. It's kind of a sucky feeling.

Hope you acclimate soon (that or descend a bit)

[SuFantasma 0]

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Hey guys...on my way to Machu Picchu and after a long day of flying and very cracked out from lack of sleep and being here at 11800ft in Cuzco, Peru...I'm in the lobby of the hotel using oxygen. Couldn't sleep...felt like I can't breathe...feeling hypoxic...just figured I'd vent here.

Anyone ever suffer a similar predicament?

Plenty of warnings on the web about get too high to quick !

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[popsjumper 2]

Ahhh...read a book to take your mind off of it. Might I suggest Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[BIGUN 1,395]

About 8 years ago, I had to make a business trip to Colorado Springs and only about 1/2 of what you're at in altitude. Being a lowlander, just walking up the one flight of stairs, I felt like I had run a marathon. Light-headed, the whole bit. I'm lying on my bed and just feel uncomfortable and thinking I must be coming down with something. Finally, the light bulb goes off and I call downstairs, "I'm sorry to bother you, but what elevation are we at here?" "About 7,000' Yup, Got it. Lotsa water time.

In the middle of the night, I hear ambulances, lifeflight, etc. lotsa excitement. Go downstairs to see what's all the ruckus (fire?). Little 4 year old boy is being life-flighted down to a lower elevation quickly. His little body just couldn't handle it. Took me about three days of yuckly feeling thru the meetings to even start to feel normal... About the time, that its time for me to leave. The interesting thing, is when I get home, I feel like friggin superman. Go for a jog and its the first jog in awhile where I didn't have to slow my pace or walk for a bit.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[godfrog 2]

some people are more sensitve to altitude then others. get yourself checked.

Experience is a difficult teacher, she gives you the test first and the lesson afterward

[Scoop 0]

I guess now you know why cyclists, runners and other athletes train at altitude! More red blood cells!

[fossg 0]

Reminds me of when I first went to Ft Huachuca. The first PT session realy sucked

[BIGUN 1,395]

I did. Thanks.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[marcandalysse 0]

best thing to drink is lots of te de coca....seriously, it will help immensely

"The reason angels can fly is that they take themselves so lightly." --GK Chesterton

[LouDiamond 1]

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best thing to drink is lots of te de coca....seriously, it will help immensely

Don't even consider drinking it if you have a job requiring you to take a piss test, you will come up hot. 1000 ft a day is what is recommended. If you are already feeling the effects of altitude, be sure you drink enough water and as hard as it may be, eat or nibble on something. Have fun, Machu Picchu is a fantastic sight to see in person.Oh yeah, keep an eye your stuff as it can and will walk off if you don't.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Zee 0]

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best thing to drink is lots of te de coca....seriously, it will help immensely

What does that do?

I'm pretty used to the elevation because I live at 5,300 feet and I ski above 12,000 feet on a regular basis. But even after living at this elevation for more than 3 years, skiing at those elevations still gets to me by the end of the day...

Action©Sports

[d_squared431 0]

Where are you skiing above 12,000ft in the USA on a regular basis? 10-11,000ft is the average peak at most resorts. Back country That is a good 4-6 hour hike based on conditions. Are you heli skiing or cat skiing to get above 12,000ft?

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[kbordson 8]

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best thing to drink is lots of te de coca....seriously, it will help immensely

What does that do?

It's tea made from the coca leaves. Also called Mata de coca. And if you do drink that, you will likely test positive for cocaine derivatives.

Refer here for more info

[SuFantasma 0]

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Where are you skiing above 12,000ft in the USA on a regular basis? 10-11,000ft is the average peak at most resorts. Back country That is a good 4-6 hour hike based on conditions. Are you heli skiing or cat skiing to get above 12,000ft?

That's a lot of "snow" to get your heart pumping on the way "up'!

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[ryoder 1,590]

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Where are you skiing above 12,000ft in the USA on a regular basis? 10-11,000ft is the average peak at most resorts. Back country That is a good 4-6 hour hike based on conditions. Are you heli skiing or cat skiing to get above 12,000ft?

I normally ski at Loveland Basin. The elevations of their lifts are on the lower half of this page:

http://www.skiloveland.com/themountain/MountainStats.aspx

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Zee 0]

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Where are you skiing above 12,000ft in the USA on a regular basis? 10-11,000ft is the average peak at most resorts. Back country That is a good 4-6 hour hike based on conditions. Are you heli skiing or cat skiing to get above 12,000ft?

I ski mostly in Taos and Telluride. The lifts in Taos go up to about 11,900 feet and then you can climb out along the ridge that goes up to I think around 12,400 feet at it's highest (don't usually climb that far out though)

The base elevation in Taos is around 9,500 feet and in Telluride it's just under 8,500 feet but the mountain is much bigger..

Action©Sports

[Zee 0]

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I normally ski at Loveland Basin. The elevations of their lifts are on the lower half of this page:

http://www.skiloveland.com/themountain/MountainStats.aspx

You guys have gotten quite a bit of snow already.... bastards . I was on my way to Telluride on Wednesday but had to turn around before I even made it to half way to Durango because the road conditions got so bad

Action©Sports

[SPAWNmaster 0]

Hey guys...figured I'd post an update. Firstly i'm still alive...although the altitude is still a major pain in the ass.

I made it to Machu Picchu on only 4 hours of sleep between 2 days...so very cracked out but I did it. Finally caught up on sleep this morning and i'm here in Cusco for another 4 days or so.

I have been drinking "te de coca" or the coca mate they have here...everyone drinks it and its like pretty popular but it keeps me up since it has caffeine in it (and coca leaf for that matter).

well...just hoping to finish the trip successfully before I head to the beach at Lima :D.

peace guys! and thanks for the replies!

[akarunway 1]

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Quote

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best thing to drink is lots of te de coca....seriously, it will help immensely

What does that do?

It's tea made from the coca leaves. Also called Mata de coca. And if you do drink that, you will likely test positive for cocaine derivatives.

Refer here for more info

Positive for three days. OH NO Mr. Bill. Take a 3 day w/e. Fucking sick of drug tests. Now. Make sure you don't smoke any of that EVIL marijuana.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[billvon 3,058]

>Couldn't sleep...felt like I can't breathe . . .

This is common for non-adapted travelers.

First some background. Normally your respiratory drive is controlled by the amount of CO2 in your blood, because getting rid of CO2 during exercise is the primary issue that drives your respiration rate. You have a backup system that senses oxygen, but it is backup only, and you often don't feel it until you are seriously hypoxic.

This is why being in an enclosed space isn't all that risky, but being in an non-oxygen atmosphere is. If you're in an enclosed space, CO2 builds up and you breathe harder, feel panicky and want to get out, even though you may still be getting enough O2. If you are in a non-oxygen atmosphere (for example, if you're cleaning out a tank that's full of nitrogen as an inerting gas) then your first warning may be your getting dizzy and passing out - because you are still clearing CO2.

What's happening in high altitude sleep is that:

1) You fall asleep. Your respiration slows naturally.
2) You get even more hypoxic due to the slower respiration.
3) Eventually your oxygenation level falls so low that it triggers your backup O2 sensors. You breathe very deeply for several seconds.
4) You flush all the CO2 out of your system, and your respiratory drive goes to almost nothing. You stop breathing for a few seconds.
5) Go back to step 3.

This leads to a very disturbed pattern of sleep, and you may end up waking up every time your oxygenation level falls (which can be a few times per minute.) So you wake up "gasping for breath" even though you're still oxygenating OK when you are awake. There is some evidence that acetazolamide works to combat this, by increasing blood acidity which in turn increases respiratory drive.

[SPAWNmaster 0]

woah, good info! coincides pefectly with what happened to me the other night. luckily i am slowly getting more and more adapted. was checking out 3200m high ruins earlier today in the sun and managed. just seems to be harder at night! but every day im feeling better and better. I think I may be leaving soon to sea level which will be nice..but if not will be certainly leaving on the 1st. it's a family trip...

in any case, havent had to use oxygen since that first night...am managing my breathing with meditative techniques and maintaining my composure. i think my mood and how/what im eating is affecting my tolerance as well.