Quito - altitude problems? (2 Viewers)

[Vectis Birder]

Has anyone on here had any issues with altitude sickness or asthma when visiting places that are at high altitudes? I'm going to Ecuador in May and will be in Quito for one night and was wondering how likely altitude sickness is at 9300 feet (2850 metres). After that first night I'll be at lower altitudes in the cloud forest.

I also have very mild asthma - so mild as not to be a problem 95% of the time - and was wondering if altitude might adversely affect it. I asked the asthma nurse at our local doctors and she thinks I'll be ok, but I thought I'd ask around a bit.

The highest I have been to date is just over 7500 feet and I felt a wee bit dizzy then, but otherwise fine.

So, if you've had altitude sickness and/or asthma problems at altitude how did you deal with it?

Cheers
VB

 

[SueBryan]

Has anyone on here had any issues with altitude sickness or asthma when visiting places that are at high altitudes? I'm going to Ecuador in May and will be in Quito for one night and was wondering how likely altitude sickness is at 9300 feet (2850 metres). After that first night I'll be at lower altitudes in the cloud forest.

I also have very mild asthma - so mild as not to be a problem 95% of the time - and was wondering if altitude might adversely affect it. I asked the asthma nurse at our local doctors and she thinks I'll be ok, but I thought I'd ask around a bit.

The highest I have been to date is just over 7500 feet and I felt a wee bit dizzy then, but otherwise fine.

So, if you've had altitude sickness and/or asthma problems at altitude how did you deal with it?

Cheers
VB

Hi VB
I suffer very badly with altitude sickness and have birded in Ecuador, landing in Quito and spent time in Peru this summer birding the Manu road in the Andes. I suffered altitude sickness on both occasions and it is extremely unpleasant and debilitating as you cannot stand or focus your eyes. The headache is beyond anything you can imagine, eventually you throw up.
As you say Quito is over 9000 feet. It really depends what you are going to do next after landing. If you are dropping altitude you will probably be OK but if you intend to go to Cotopaxi then you need a couple of days to acclimatise before you ascend. The locals will give you Coca leaves to infuse in boiling water which will relieve the headaches a little. (Most hotels have these available free in the reception area)
Some travel clinics recommend Diamox but this needs discussion with your doctor (who will probably never heard of it as an altitude help but get him/her to look it up on the internet) I found it helped me in the Andes in Chile but not in the Andes in Peru. It is a controversial remedy and some doctors will not prescribe it and you will have to get a private prescription from a travel clinic.
Don't mis judge altitude sickness as it can kill.
hope this helps
Sue

 

[Vectis Birder]

Hi Sue,

that's very helpful thanks. Once I'm in Quito, I'll most likely go straight to the B&B as it'll be evening and it'll be a long time since I left Heathrow earlier in the day. The next morning I'll be heading straight to Tandayapa. So nothing strenuous.

Cheers
VB

 

[Edward woodwood]

As long as you don't go straight up you should be okay

I managed around 5,200m on a couple of days in Tibet in 2005 and about three weeks over 3000m. In Peru I had no problems around 3-4000m despite not having any real time to acclimatise

You might feel a bit headachy and not sleep so well, so don't overdo it, just take it very easy, lay off the beer and you should be fine. The upside is that you get drunk very quickly and after a couple of weeks you'll feel like you can run for miles...

chewing Coca leaves is a good idea at altitude too, or drinking Coca de mate tea.

Any sign of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) and you must go to a lower altitude straightaway.

Tim

 

[Vectis Birder]

Watcha Tim,

many thanks for your input. I'll be definitely laying off the booze on the first night. I had one beer at 6000 feet in Texas last year and felt like I had drunk six pints!

Cheers
VB

 

[Peter 255]

When I went to Quito I had no trouble with the altitude. I worried a lot before hang though. To me it didn't feel any different!

 

[pete woodall]

Hi VB

I think that peoples' reaction to altitude sickness is extremely variable. Some people are badly affected and others hardly at all, and I don't think that you can predict how you are going to feel.

I also have mild asthma. The highest I've been is Mt Kinabalu (Borneo - c. 4000m) in February this year. I was a little breathless on the walk up but had no real troubles and took nothing for it. I know others, very fit, who couldn't go on beyond the rest hut, Laban Ratu at c. 3850m.
Perhaps growing up in Harare at 1500m helped me, but I've spent the last 30 years in Brisbane at 70m!!
Cheers

 

[POP]

Has anyone on here had any issues with altitude sickness or asthma when visiting places that are at high altitudes? I'm going to Ecuador in May and will be in Quito for one night and was wondering how likely altitude sickness is at 9300 feet (2850 metres). After that first night I'll be at lower altitudes in the cloud forest.

I also have very mild asthma - so mild as not to be a problem 95% of the time - and was wondering if altitude might adversely affect it. I asked the asthma nurse at our local doctors and she thinks I'll be ok, but I thought I'd ask around a bit.

The highest I have been to date is just over 7500 feet and I felt a wee bit dizzy then, but otherwise fine.

So, if you've had altitude sickness and/or asthma problems at altitude how did you deal with it?

Cheers
VB

Do go and discuss this with your doctor,before you decide anything.Because of my problem only 3 Artery's I can no longer do altitude,long chat with my GP it was a no no.When in Nepal some years ago I even came across some Sherpas who suffered with altitude sickness,had an affect on their economy.For a normal healthy person it's like sea sickness some suffer and some do not,but do go and check out with your GP.

POP

 

[albatross02]

High Altitude

Hi,

I was 2 times in La Paz ( 3695 m ), which is higher than Quito.
Flight was direct form Germany via Madrid to La Paz.
High altitude sickness starts in every ! case ( included sports champions people ), depending on physikal condition between 2700 m and 3400 m.
First You will have haddack. Messure Your heartbeat in quitness. It should not be higher than 75 - 80.
Most important is the altitude of the sleeping place. The highest day place should be higher than sleeping place.
With Your Asthma, I have no knowledge. Please contact medical specialist.
In doubt You should made an emergency plan, how You can leave Quito into lower altitude sleeping place.
I made different altitude expirience in last 15 years with mountain climbing in Europian Alps, Rocky Mountains, NZ Alps, Andean included climbing expeditions.

There is a professional altitude research on hut Magaritha of pik Signalkuppe ( 4559 m ) in Monte Rosa area in Switzerland.
Reasearch on this place made also scientist from hospital "Universitaets Klinik Heidelberg" ( Germany ).


General informations:
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/


Best regards
Dieter

 

[edenwatcher]

Surprised no one seems to have mentioned this but ... DRINK LOTS OF WATER (bottled of course!). In general you shouldn't have any symptoms in Quito (may be a bit short of breath). I have been to altitude many times birding, trekking and climbing and never had problems. However everyone is different.

It sometimes seems as though worrying about it can bring on symptoms, though I'm not sure if there is medical evidence for this - so relax and think of all those hummers on the balcony at Tandayapa!

Rob

 

[Capercaillie71]

As others have already said, the effects will vary greatly from person to person, and even for the same person over time. The highest I have been is 4800m on the Merida teleferico in Venezuela, and I definitely felt light headed and short of breath then, although it was a very short visit. On the same trip (in 1990) I spent a month living at about 3600m and don't remember any particular problems with that. However, a couple of years ago I went to 3500m at the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland and felt a little short of breath. Perhaps being 15 years older made me feel the altitude more?

 

[albatross02]

Drink a lot

Surprised no one seems to have mentioned this but ... DRINK LOTS OF WATER (bottled of course!). In general you shouldn't have any symptoms in Quito (may be a bit short of breath). I have been to altitude many times birding, trekking and climbing and never had problems. However everyone is different.

It sometimes seems as though worrying about it can bring on symptoms, though I'm not sure if there is medical evidence for this - so relax and think of all those hummers on the balcony at Tandayapa!

Rob

Hi,

like Rob said trink a lot is very important, because the few oxigen, the red blut parts will be produced and the blut get viscous.
Garlic is also very helpful.


Best regards
Dieter

 

[Vectis Birder]

Thank you all for the helpful input.

Cheers
VB

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I've had trouble with altitude sickness in the California Sierras and in Colorado. When I went to Peru and Ecuador, I took diamox and had no problem at all with altitude sickness (and flew from Lima to Cuzco). I did have trouble with shortness of breath, tho, from the thinness of the air.

I'd be more worried about pollution in Quito impacting the asthma.

One comment on mate de coca: I've had conflicting answers on whether it will show up on a drug test. If your employer requires random periodic drug testing, you might want to do some more research before trying it.

 

[Vectis Birder]

Once again, thanks to all who have given me info. It is much appreciated.

VB

 

[Bill Atwood]

I've flown into Quito and stayed overnight without any problems. I've also unknowingly flown into El Alto (La Paz, over 14,000ft). We were on the runway for an hour or so, after 30 minutes I was begging for a quick death.

I think the vast majority of people can handle 9,000ft with no major problems. Somewhere over 10,000ft altititude sickness hits me very fast and very hard.

The 2-3 times I knowingly went above 10,000 (including a couple days in LaPaz) I took Diamox starting at least 24 hours beforehand and avoided sickness.

 

[Bill Atwood]

Oh, I almost forgot, the coca tea is vastly overrated for helping with altitude. Don't know about chewing the leaves.

 

[mmdnje]

HI. My 2 cents of advise: water, plenty of it. and do not eat too much the first couple of days. Diamox for Quito is a little too much. Iboprufen (Advil, MOtrim, etc) should do if you have headaches. I Hope you enjoy your stay and share with us your experiences. Jose.

 

[Vectis Birder]

Thanks Bill and Jose. I will be sharing my experiences, of course. Less than four months to go now...