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Advice for preparation to Everest B.C... 10-Jan-2010 At 10:30:41 AM hipster

Message

MattyB,
In my experience you can start to feel the effects of altitude around 3000m, especially if you normally live at sea level. Shortness of breath, lethargy, not that hungry..that kind of stuff. When going up above 3000m rough estimates are to sleep at 300m gains per sleep/day, allowing the oxygen demands of your body to adjust. Thus walking into a BC is always a good way to acclimatise. Sounds like you are going the express option and flying/driving, so will need to be super-cautious at first.
The Dex and Nifidipine are taken once you develop symptoms, as opposed to Diamox, which when taken as a precautionary measure helps the body adjust to altitude..it does not mask any effects from altitude sickness. Taking Diamox definitely helped the members of an expedition to the Karakorum I went on last year. We begun taking it at 3000m, even though some of us weren't feeling any effects, and continued to take it until 4 days in at our highest altitude. Some strange side effects..I won't ruin all the fun..but you'll be feeling some strange pins and needles when you least expect it. Personally I found it helped, I never woke up at night gasping for air, which is quite a common as you body adjusts, and quite disconcerting at the time. Other members who hadn't taken Diamox before also found it really helped.
We saw a Swiss lad with HAPE at 4000m, he descended to 3200m to recover, so don't think these illnesses only happen around 8000m. I'd be taking a broad spectrum antibiotic with you as well as pain relief. Ibuprofen, panadol and panadeine forte, just in case you get a toothache or abscess. Having these kept our cook in base camp, he'd developed an abscess in a molar. When you arrive in Tibet you can supplement your medical supplies with some of the cheaper ones available and offload them to porters/cooks/drivers/locals who always appreciate them.
Ado