Has anyone anyone ever delt with high altittude sickness?

Question

Since I'm going to Peru, what should I do to prepare?

Answer 1

Lima should be no problem, as it is at sea level. Cuzco is high, so I would recommend taking it easy the first day or 2 and eat light.
If you are looking for meds to combat altitude sickness, high mountain rescue teams use ACETAK. You have to take it a couple of days before you go to altitude.

Answer 2

Get as fit as you can in advance. That won't actually help or prevent Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) but it will help your body to be able to cope with moving around and doing 'normal' things at a higher altitude where there's less oxygen. There is no logic that dictates whether a person will suffer from AMS or not; a young fit person is as likely to suffer as an older unfit person. Having said that, there is evidence that smokers suffer less as their bodies are used to getting less oxygen...but don't take that as a suggestion to start a 20-a-day habit!

Depending on where you're going, you may not even be high enough to need to worry but, just in case, the best way to prepare is to acclimatise, slowly, once you're there. Lima is at sea-level so is not going to be an issue. Puno (Lake Titicaca), Cusco, parts of the Inca Trail and also the road up to the Colca Canyon are much higher. In each place, and certainly at the beginning of your trip, once you leave Lima, spend a day doing very little to allow your body to get used to being at that altitude.

Even if you don't get AMS you find yourself tiring more quickly than usual. The locals chew cocoa (mate) leaves or make them into a tea. You may find it helps you too...and the tea isn't too bad a taste, either ;-)

The best cure for AMS is actually to go down to a slightly lower altitude until you have recovered and to then try going up again...but I know that isn't always practical. If you are going to be spending a lot of time at altitiude, see a doctor before you leave and ask for medication as back-up, but you need to know the symptons, to know when to take anything. Good luck.

Answer 3

It's not cocaine tea - it's tea made from the leaves of the same plant that provides the *raw ingredients* for cocaine (ie you need to do something to it to turn it into cocaine). Coca tea, not cocaine tea.

Make sure you use the whole leaves as some of the hotels use a powder form which tastes disgusting. The whole leaf tea, while not the best drink in the world, tastes far better this way. And, yes, it does help with the altitude sickness. After all, the locals use it so they ought to know.

Answer 4

There isn't much you can do except have the proper medication and get in good shape. Try to get into good cardio shape and have motion sickness medicine handy. When you fly into Lima inquire about the local teas which they will have available in Cuzco. Their tea is said to cure altitude sickness but I wouldn't count on it. Have it a few times in Lima before getting into Cuzco so you can aquire the taste for it. When you get to Cuzco, go straight to your hotel, have some tea and get some rest. Your body will acclimate to the altitude soon enough. Don't worry too much not everyone experience altitude sickness, I was one of the fortunate ones.

Answer 5

Everything is correct. Depends on your body if you get altitude sickness called SOROCHE. Soroche can vary depends fro headache, throwing up...once you get to Cuzco try to tack one step at a time, rest as much as you can the first day, don't eat heavy, just soup AVOID EGGS, PASTA, CONDIMENT FOOD,BREAD everything that makes digestion take a lot of time, there is a tea called MATE DE COCA, that helps very much not feeling the soroche. If you get sick you can try rubbing your toes and feet with Mentholatum, get in bed and rest (this is a medicine an old Indian woman did to me and worked VERY VERY GOOD).

Answer 6

You wont have any altitude problems in Lima, however when going to Arequipa, Cuzco or Machu Pichu have some altitude sickness pills on hand, you can find them at any drugstore and they are cheap.
If you're flying to Cuzco take the pills about 30 min before you land.

Answer 7

I agree with MrGin and Tolish. The hotel where we stayed in Cuzco had a big pot of the tea in the lobby, and it seemed to work - none of us got sick. Since we spent a day there before we took the train to Machu Picchu, we had no problem at those wonderful ruins.

Answer 8

Places in Peru like Cusco and Huancayo you get altitiude sickness, when you get there on the airplane they give you a cocaine tea (yes i said cocaine) and it cures altitiude sickness very well.

Answer 9

I've guided on Denali. You can't train to prevent it. But you can acclimatize - about 1000 feet/day. Stay well hydrated, too

Answer 10

get a prescription for DIAMOX.