Altitude sickness @ leh

Hey friends,

I am going to ladakh.I will be flying there.

Leh is @ 11000 ft from sea level.I have read about altitude sickness.

To prevent it,i have thought that

1>i would give myself two days of rest
2>will start diamox tablets @ Mumbai
3>will take my trek,slow and easy.

i have been to rohtang valley which is @ 13000 ft without a problem.

I am a 20 year old male,with good endurance and moderate fitness.

So what do you think about it?

Slow and easy is my recommendation. Regardless of age, endurance and fitness, even professional climbers/athletes can and have had different responses to altitude each and every time they go high. Listen to your body. Have fun.

Thanks buddy..: )

but being to rohtang valley without a problem..

i mean,does it kinda assures me that i will not die there..: )

i mean yea,its kinda glorious to die @ ladakh but only if i wore an olive green uniform which i dont..

At top left of most pages here, you will see a "forums" button. It will lead you to this site's forums structure: http://www.indiamike.com/india/.

There are some "sticky" threads on AMS (altitude/mountain sickness) in both the mountaineering and the appropriate state forums, I do believe. A sticky thread is one "stuck" on top of any given sub-forum to always remain there, since it has been found to be informative on that subject.

Darmabum makes an essential point btw: I've never been that high up, but my understanding is indeed even individuals may experience it differently every time they do. So your previous experiences or condition or whatever tell you very little. I know I've experienced what I can only conclude must have been (mild) AMS at a far lower altitude, where normally it shouldn't even occur. But so that doesn't tell you much, if you happen to fall outside of those statistics. I was pretty miserable, but didn't realize it at the time, nor took the appropriate action (namely, to descend), and got adamant about any suggestion to, even. To deny it and perhaps up to violently so is in fact said to be a typical symptom of the condition.

Hi Arvind,

It's very difficult to predict how someone's body would response in hight altitude condition. I have seen physically fit people suffering from AMS, I have also seen people having different types of health issues acting quite normally at high altitudes. 2 days of rest should be enough for acclimatization. We landed at Leh airport around 8AM, spent 5/6 hours at our guesthouse, then went up to the top of Leh Fort without any problem. My advice would be to talk less and avoid doing physical activities during acclimatization.

By the way, in point 3 you have mentioned something about trekking. Where are you doing this trek?

Hi Arvind,

As the IMers said ...nothing of your age, endurance and fitness will be enough to predict that you'll not be in problem.

Well, but think of the only remedy ... 'go down, down and down'.. the only appropriate action.

Well, be careful but don't be discouraged ..... Your planning for 2 days rest is ok with some easy walking/ roaming. No need to waste time inside hotel rooms.

Best of luck, Dear.

You might want to take a look at this if you haven't already: everest base camp info
Do not take diamox if you are allergic to sulfa compounds!

distaff

The impact can build up on you instead of acclimitizing you. Try to avoid lying down as much as possible as Vistet points out..

Altitude sickness is about the altitude where you sleep. Going up to the Rothang La unfortunately does not tell you anything on how you will cope with staying in Leh , five hundred meters lower.

If you feel under the weather first day(s) in Leh there is now in high season ( saw the fliers last time in winter ) a "oxygen bar " in Changspa : haven´t seen their equipment , but it ought to the same kind of O2 generators the army medics use. Easy temporary relief. You can also try going down to Alchi , four hundred meters lower than Leh.

As already mentioned : go over the sulfa allergy angle with a doc. Start 24 hours before landing in Leh , starting earlier only means more side effects. Don´t take ASA/aspirin ( Dispril etc ) at the same time : use Ibuprofen for headaches.

Have fun ,

v.

I've certainly heard of people being left breathless for days upon arrival in Leh, really just from walking to the cornershop; I've heard of others who just never acclimatize. Again, apparently your previous experiences don't necessarily tell you a lot here, or so I hear.

That includes sleeping at a lower altitude than the highest altitude gained that day, doesn't it? (Not sure how to go about this staying in a town,* but when trekking or moving around then.)

* Though of course Vistet's tip of Alchi sounds good in that respect. Had never heard of it before, but if it's a nearby lower-lying place to stay, that would fit the bill. According to Wikipedia, should be some 70 kms. from Leh. Cross-checking with a guidebook, looks like well worth a visit in its own right, really.

Dear Arvind,

It is true that age and fitness does not say much on if a person will have AMS or not. It is also not the height, the oxygen starts deplete from somewhere 8000ft. At Leh there is hardly any vegetation. Just for your info Gangotri is almost the same altitude and no one seem to have any issues.

I had been to altitudes of 14000plus and used diamox which helped me (I am still here). It had a side effect of tingling sensation in hands and feet but as I knew this, I was not worried. I don't know about sulfa drug allergy and diamox issues.

As some one suggested the best advice is to go to lower heights if uncomfortable, do NOT try continuing, wanting to be brave. HAPE is a serious health issue.

Enjoy the trip. I am planning in August 2012, which I understand is a good season.

OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Oxygen concentration is a constant 20.9 % all over the planet. Total air pressure ( 101 kiloPascal at sea level ) and partial oxygen pressure ( 21 KPa at sea level ) decrease is a straight line function , down to 50 % of sea level pressure at 5600 meters , and 66 % at Leh´s altitude.



Hard to get a clear image , but from Google Earth it seems to be a very close match with Alchi´s altitude . Four hundred meters on a first night can mean a lot.



OXYGEN IN THE BLOOD

Oxygen uptake is near perfect , but 21 % never reaches the working end of the lung , the alveoli. O2 concentration gradually drops in the lower airways , where it mixes with carbon dioxide ( Co2 ) and water/vapor (H2O). Taking deeper breaths changes the proportions between air and CO2/H2O , but only marginally : this means that the teoretical upper limit at sea level ( 21 kPa in air ) is around 15 kPa in the blood , and at Leh´s altitude ( 14 kPa in the air) around 9 kPa .

Sigh, I would have killed for this when I was there. In fact, I dreamed frequently of just such..