Canned "Recreational Oxygen" for elevation sickness?

[Doodle]

For what it's worth, we have a cabin at 7400 feet and keep canned oxygen on hand. It doesn't really help with acute ams, but it does alleviate light symptoms, especially with older folks.

Not medical advice, but it's a lightly kept secret that a number of mountaineers (think Everest and k2) take low doses of cialis to help their bodies perform. I don't know about the medical opinion on that, but I don't think they'd keep doing it if it didn't help.

 

[HARPERC]

but it's a lightly kept secret that a number of mountaineers (think Everest and k2) take low doses of cialis to help their bodies perform. I don't know about the medical opinion on that, but I don't think they'd keep doing it if it didn't help.

It's used for pulmonary hypertension in that population. Some good articles, I don't think for the heights we're talking it's a thing. If you're chasing the 15,000' critters it could be useful.
Been awhile since I read through that, and an altitude where it comes into play isn't in my head right now.

 

[esshup]

I am in the "get there 3 days early to let your body acclimate to the altitude" camp. I live at 785' elevation and hunted elk/deer hunted in Colorado 3 times. I'm talking about staying in a hotel at 6K altitude for the first day, just walking around town, then the 2nd and 3rd day, go higher up and walk around, nothing strenuous, just walk. The 2 times I got there 3 days in advance I had no issues. I also took a scouting trip out there before the 10 day mule deer hunt, stayed at 6K, went up to 10K-11K on ATV's and walked around to scout/glass. came back down to 6K at the hotel. No issues for the 3 days I was there.

For the hunt we went right to 9K and set up camp, hunting the next day at 10K-11K, then back to camp at 9K every night. The 3rd day I really didn't feel like going out hunting. After that I was fine. Don't know if it was altitude sickness or not, but I sure as heck didn't have any desire to hunt that day.

All 3 hunting trips + the scouting trip I drove out there.

 

[jessej]

I'm all for that. If you can spare that kinda time

 

[esshup]

I'm all for that. If you can spare that kinda time

10 day hunt was a 2 week vacation.

 

[slv hunter]

Go to your doctor and ask for diamox, it's a sulphu drug that will increase your red blood cell count. Start taking it 2 weeks before your trip. I used to be a guide and this really helped most clients.

 

[Vann Kirkland]

Has anyone used one of the canned oxygen bottles that claim to have 90%+ pure oxygen inside as a way to help with elevation sickness? In my mind it might be useful after the sickness kicks in almost as a treatment, not prior to as a preventative measure.

I ask because i have an elk hunt this year around 7k, 7.5k' and I currently live at about 500'. The last time I was at 9k I had a pretty bad case and I had to be driven to a lower elevation cause I couldn't do it myself. I've never had problems at 6k, though. I'm thinking $20 or $30 is pretty cheap insurance if they are only slightly helpful.

Cause someone will probably mention it, I'm certainly not trying to find an easy replacement for being in shape. I've already started physical training and will be ready to go when the time comes!

It's a rip off. The only thing that helps with High Altitude Sickness is going to a lower elevation. I live in Florida and hunt in Colorado every year routinely above 9500-10,000' Never had any problem. Several things help: 1) Being in shape 2) Going several days early to get acclimated 3) Proper nutrition and 4) stay hydrated and never allow yourself to ever get dehydrated. When you think you have had enough water, drink more. Remember the low humidity there and you do not sweat like you do because it evaporates as soon as it gets to the surface of your skin.

 

[Floridaboy123]

I used acetalzolamide on Colorado hunt. Started taking it on way out. Camped at 9000 ft, hunted up to 11,600. No problem with altitude

If you are worried about altitude sickness I would go to your primary care physician and get a prescription for Prednisone or Acetalzolamide. Easy to carry, cheap, proven effective, and you can start taking them the morning of your hunt if your schedule does not allow you extra days to acclimate. Not worth losing a hunting opportunity because you got sick with something that was easily preventable.

 

[LkeAF]

If you're just going to 7500 ft. I would say the meds are optional but not necessary. The best advice is to get there as early as you can, hydrate, and go steady. I live at 6K and hunt up to 11K and every year my nephew comes from NC to join me. The first year he puked on the way up. What he figured out was that he simply tried to go too hard. Pace yourself and try not to "red line" it. And, since I'm assuming this will be out west, know that the humidity is way low and you will dehydrate quickly. You still sweat, but it does it's job and cools you through evaporation. So you don't generally overheat or end up soaking wet (at least for very long), and therefore don't realize quite how much you've been sweating and how much fluid you've lost. It might sound weird, but pay attention to your pee. It should be pretty clear and you should go several times a day.

 

[LkeAF]

LOL.....I got sidetracked with the discussion about the meds, but to your OP, the supplemental oxygen doesn't weigh much and might help you overcome nausea etc. So, if you have the room, why not, just in case......

 

[esshup]

I forgot about going out to Western Wyoming about 11 years ago with a buddy. We hunted the Greys River area around Alpine, Wy. Camp was at 6400 feet, we climbed every day around 800-1,000 vertical feet before daybreak. My buddy didn't drink enough water and couldn't sleep the 2nd night because of leg cramps. I think I was drinking between 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water a day. I had no problems. No problems with altitude either, just ran out of wind the first few days - because of his schedule we couldn't get out there early. Season opened September 1st and the temps went from below freezing at night to 90 during the day.

 

[ndking1126]

It might sound weird, but pay attention to your pee. It should be pretty clear and you should go several times a day.

Man you're spot on there. I used to run the drug testing program in my unit and was surprised at how dark some of the.. uh, specimens people provided were. Granted we were all a bunch of PowerPoint Rangers who sat behind desks, so it wasn't as huge of a problem. In some training courses they would stop training at regular intervala and orders us to drink water. One time in a desert training event I was leading a convoy and by about 1:30pm, I had drunken 6 liters of water and still had to go get a liter and a half of IV from our medics. I wasn't a heat casualty, but I would have been if I stayed. I asked my driver if I had been drinking as much as I thought I had. It hit me maybe the heat had caused me to get a little dillisional, lol. He agreed I had gotten out at almost every stop and refilled my camelback.

 

[Huntz]

Good cardio workout daily is your friend.Buy a good bicycle and start putting miles on it.Start out on a level surface and work up to a hilly area.This will strengthen your heart and expand your lungs.Drugs are not your friend.Depending on an artificial means will not be of benefit to your body or health.If you don`t have time to keep your body healthy, it is time to take up golf.

 

[joemcd2]

Has anyone used one of the canned oxygen bottles that claim to have 90%+ pure oxygen inside as a way to help with elevation sickness? In my mind it might be useful after the sickness kicks in almost as a treatment, not prior to as a preventative measure.

I ask because i have an elk hunt this year around 7k, 7.5k' and I currently live at about 500'. The last time I was at 9k I had a pretty bad case and I had to be driven to a lower elevation cause I couldn't do it myself. I've never had problems at 6k, though. I'm thinking $20 or $30 is pretty cheap insurance if they are only slightly helpful.

Cause someone will probably mention it, I'm certainly not trying to find an easy replacement for being in shape. I've already started physical training and will be ready to go when the time comes!

The Boost Oxygen cans do not provide enough O2 and do not last long enough to raise blood oxygen levels. It may provide a temporary fix but once you stop the blood oxygen level will again decline. Get an Apple Watch 6 that measures Blood O2 levels and find a pilot friend and purchase or borrow a 22 liter bottle filled with aviation grade oxygen. If you get in trouble you can suck air off of it for hours to get your levels up to and north of 95%. Nothing is worse than altitude sickness.

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