hey guys,
this is pretty embarrassing but im at high altitudes now in sichuan, china.
and im having pretty bad diarrhea... for three days now and i have no apetite so i dont have any energy to bike.
i dont know what to do, i cant bike. is this also because of high altitude? i thought it was headache, nausia, puking...
but i have none of those, ... i did feel like fainting but i think oys only because i cant eat.
if it is high altitude, will it pass by itsself if i wait?
iim in a hospital now but its really hard to communicate. they gave me some pills bit theyre not working.
greatings ilona
high altitudes sickness china what to do?
Wed, 2015-03-11 02:47
#1
WS Member
high altitudes sickness china what to do?
Hi Ilona,
diarrhea isn`t independing from altitude. It`s a question of water. You should purify it or drink mineral water. Cola is a good idea too. It`s an emergency drink for diarrhea. You`ve to get minerals. In the hospital they should give you an infusion.
Where are you?
peter
Hi Ilona,
I'm not a doctor so can't realy give you advise.
From what I know there are different kinds of altide sickness, but I don't think any of them causes diarrhea.
Acute Mountain Sickness gives you a bad headache and a hangover feeling, High Altitude Pulmanary Edema you'll have trouble breathing. When I was in Tibet I had fluid in my lungs and had to sleep almost sitting up.
Either way if you suspect altitude sickness the best medicine is to go to a lower altitude as soon as possible. In the mean time though, Peterr has a good point, with your diarrhea and lack of appetite your electrolites are probably out of whack, try to find "sports drinks" that replenish electrolites. At the pharmacy you could buy ORS powder.
good luck.
Ilona,
Having worked as a nurse at high altitude in Colorado, I may have some useful information. A major contributing factor can be Dehydration. You need copious amounts of water and electrolytes sport drinks. Avoid caffeine. Your body is trying to thicken your levels to increase hemoglobin and red blood cells which carry oxygen . So flushing fluids through your GI tract this causing the diarrhea. As soon as you can eat, eating foods high in iron content will increase your ability to carry oxygen, Also taking a vitiams supplement WITH IRON is advised. Getting to a lower altitude is advisable if possible. Resting and drinking water which is 1 part OXYGEN should help. I know this can be a viscous cycle but you must rehydrate ASAP . I pray you recover quickly.
Sincerely,
Jeff Flint
Hi.
I'm not a doctor, but i share my experience and knowledge, even if it's probably not what you need the most right now.
Drink as much coca as possible is the only cheap remedy working well , unless it's an infectious diarrhea, like amibian or bacterian infection. In this case you may need specific antibiotics. Take care if you lose blood through any of your sphincters, and say it to the doctor.
It's very important.
High altitude diseases begins at 2 500 meters (8200 feets), but is rarely dangerous under 3 500 m (11 400 feets).
You may suffer one or all of these diseases:
-headache, with sensation of pressure on the side of your crane
-difficulties to breathe
-facial oedema
The seconds categories of diseases indicates a potentialy lethal affection:
-blood expetoration , symptom of pulmonar oedema.
-loose of balance , may indicate a potential cerebral oedema
-Skin and face total oedema, can lead to paralysis
In those dangerous cases, happening most of the time upon 4 000 meters (13 200 feets), you immediately need to loose altitude, directly or artificially(with hyperbaric caisson), and use oxygen if you can the time you get down. The effects of altitude loose begins rapidly, and symptoms disappears.
Hope everything is well and you have contacts with your home.
hello!
thankyou all for your advice, i was on.the s217 that goes from shangrila to litang. the road swings between 2700 and 4700. the medication the doctor gave worked but i still felt weak. i tried to bike but then decided to hitchhike, i dont want to do anything too risky.. so im going to a friend in chengdu and plan a bit better the rest of the trip!
i indeed didnt drink enough now i think about it!
dont worry, im in contact with family, my moms even a nurse, but they dont always check their mail!
thanks again,
ilona
That's good to hear. Did you ride up through Yunnan to get to Zhongdian? We did that ride 8 years ago. Those days you could still go across Tibet to Lhasa. What are your route plans through central Asia?
Tailwinds!
Hi Ilona,
good to hear. Drinking in high altitude is pretty important. In Central Asia you`ve to go at the same heights.
Eat in the next days lot of rice meals with veggies and pretty less meat.
Do you take the train through Taklamakan? Could be pretty hard to get your bike inside
yes i did bike yunnan! i think from here i take.the train or bus to.xining, from there bike a bit of the southern silkroad and find my way to.kyrgystan, tajikistan and uzbekistan, from there i decided to fly home and spend the summer with friends and family!
but does anybody have a suggestion on which part would be the best.to bike between xining and kyrgystan? because i only have like two weeks and.a bit on my chinese visa....
Take a flight out of China. Eastern Tibet takes too much time.
Summer is the best time in Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. Shouldn`t miss it
We've done the high air cycling a few times including over 5200m in Ladakh and Srinigar last year.
Electrolytes are good if you can get them. The Indians make their own which we used to drink. You need to get minerals back into your system.
1 cup soda water.
juice of one lime or lemon
large teaspoon salt.
Mix and drink