Altitude sickness is a stark reality when mountaineering in the high country.
Mountaineering in the high country and at high altitudes places you at risk of altitude sickness. Many such illnesses can be lethal if not tended to immediately with the most appropriate treatment --- getting to a lower altitude as quickly as possible. Pulmonary edema and cerebral edema are deadly afflictions resulting in high altitude from the body's inability to acclimatize. When these illnesses occur, move to a lower altitude with haste. Luckily, the human body takes to the lower altitude almost immediately, unlike when it moves to a higher altitude.
Instructions
1. Tie into your climbing partners with a climbing rope and harnesses. Perform an assessment of your ability to walk and move with the illness --- altitude affects decision-making as well as physical coordination. Don't be a hero! If you cannot handle the walk down, tell your partner(s). Have them assist your descent or guide you down in a litter.
2. Walk deliberately, but slowly as you go down. Most accidents in mountaineering and climbing occur during descents, when a climber's guard is relaxed. It is imperative to stay on guard and go step by step while moving to lower altitudes.
3. Lean back in toward the slope if hiking down the mountain instead of rappelling or technical climbing. Keep your center of gravity as close to the mountain as possible. Leaning forward puts your center of gravity facing down the hill. If a slip occurs in this position, it forces the body forward into a face-first fall, with lethal potential.
4. Stop every 100 to 200 feet to catch your breath, then continue to move on. If you feel an increase in pressure in the head or a headache that spikes, stop moving and have your teammates litter you down --- the cerebral edema pressure is increasing. Keep the body as still as possible to keep the heart rate down. If you feel fluid in the lungs increase, the pulmonary edema is increasing. If the fluid is not drastically impairing your ability to move, keep moving down the mountain.
5. Check the altimeter every few minutes. Check for decreases in elevation in 1,000-foot increments. Typically, the body reacts positively and very quickly to decrease in altitude. Symptoms of the altitude sicknesses should begin to dissipate as you go down every 1,000 feet. This is a general rule, not a steadfast one. Be extremely cautious regarding cerebral edema and its symptoms. If your headache does not moderate as you get lower, seek professional medical help as soon as possible. Ask at base camp if there are any hyperbaric chambers and enter one immediately to get oxygen rich-air and to lower pressure on your body.
Tags: cerebral edema, lower altitude, center gravity, down mountain, every feet, high country