I have been travelling
to high altitudes of Nepal for eight years now. I have come through two incidents
in connection with altitude sickness till date. The first happened in October
2010 at Lobuche (4900 m asl), Sagarmatha National Park. Two of my friends had suffered it but the magnitude
was mild. Since the incident took place in a hotel, it got an easy settlement!!
The second one took
place in Dec 2013 at Thini, Mustang, Annapurna Conservation Area. It happened inside a jungle, nearly 4-5
hours far from any human settlements, with just two of us to rescue the victim.
The magnitude was larger. Being the first of its kind in terms of severity, it
urged me to share the happening with all my friends concerned with high
altitude.
The
narrative:
Early in the morning we
left Thini village (2855 m asl) and ascended towards Ghasung forest in search
of musk deer signs.
 |
| Thini village |
I was accompanying a friend of mine for his M.Sc. thesis field
work on musk deer. We had hired Mr. Bal Bahadur Thakali (55) as local field guide.
We had a distant view of the Dhaulagiri range and ascended up.
 |
| Dhaulagiri range, a distant view |
My friend was coming up
very slow as it was the first time he had come to this elevation. At 3700 m
asl, he complained of mild headache. I suggested him to drink as much water as
he could. We halted for lunch at 11:30. At 12:15, we hit upon a resting site of
musk deer. Soon the search progressed interestingly, musk deer pellets were
observed at many places.
 |
| Taking the field data of musk deer pellet |
We spent almost two hours at the elevation of 3800 m
asl.
At 14:00, we started to
descend. After a while, we reached near Chemaso lake.
 |
| Chemaso lake |
Right then, my friend
suffered a severe headache. As he sat down to rest, he complained of difficulty
in breathing. I offered him some water. We tried to put him in comfort by
telling that everything will be okay once we descend further. When we were
about 300 m far from the lake, he gave up the effort of descent and lied down on
the ground. I checked for water but the bottle had gone empty. So, I rushed
towards the lake to fetch water, keeping him under the care of our field guide.
When I hastily reached
near him with water in the bottle, he was lying down with his whole body
stretched to the ground. I could not see our field guide nearby. My heart
skipped a beat upon seeing this. I scanned the surrounding; the field guide was
leaning back on a stone about 5m away. I sighed with a little relief.
As I approached him, he
was almost unconscious. We made him drink water, that too with difficulty. We fed
him some energy biscuits and some pieces of garlic. He would blink his eyes
with difficulty and mostly preferred to keep them closed. I almost ordered him
to keep them open. I took off his bag and carried them on the top of my own
bag. We suggested him to rise up slowly, but he could not do that on his own.
So, each of us took hold of a hand of his and almost dragged him down. After a
while, he managed to walk a little, but still needed our support!
Upon descending about 400
m, he showed signs of improvement. We made him eat 2-3 chapatis and offered more
water. He was well off now but the headache was still on. By the time we reached
the hotel, I ordered a bowl of garlic soup for him. Drinking it gave him more
comfort. After the dinner, he was back to himself again.
My
Say:
Altitude sickness may
envelope anyone. There is no any hint as to segregate who will suffer from it
and who will be immune to it. During my research trip to Sagarmatha
National Park, I was told by a trekking guide that a French traveler who did
not suffer altitude sickness for ten Everest Base Camp (EBC) expeditions
suffered it during the 11th and passed away. Altitude sickness turns
a killer when we neglect it.
Based on the scholarly
consultations and individual experience, I list some important points to
consider (Additions will be highly appreciated):
· 1. As soon as you realize symptoms like
headache, dizziness, nausea, difficulty in breathing or imbalance in walking, descend
down at least 300m. DO NOT HIDE YOUR PROBLEM. Make sure that you do not descend
alone.
· 2. Maintain a slow and consistent rhythm of
ascent. Going up with additional speed at easy terrains and resting longer
afterwards may also trigger it.
· 3. Drink enough fluids. These will maintain the supply of additional
oxygen. But, do not ever drink alcoholic beverages in the name of having
fluids. These will make blood circulation faster and thus increase the demand
for oxygen hence leading to depletion in oxygen level.
· 4. Do not ascend with empty stomach. Carry
chocolates and other easy carbohydrate sources. Keep eating from time to time.
· 5. Garlic, turmeric and Zanthoxylum (timur)
are good natural medicines.
· 6. Always carry a first aid kit.
The final line:
Never underestimate altitude, the
fascinating high altitude landscapes would turn into a killer if you do not
comply with the natural rules they have set!
