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I would like to ask if any of you have any experience with high altitudes after you came down with ME. I'm talking altitudes between 8000 and 12500 feet.
For how long did you remain on such an altitude and what effect did it have on your condition?
KDM once commented casually that he thought that ME/CFS patients did best at about 5,000 ft--but I don't know what he based that on.I cant find anything...does anyone remember this? something about people moving to high altitudes with CFS?
KDM once commented casually that he thought that ME/CFS patients did best at about 5,000 ft--but I don't know what he based that on.
I cant find anything...does anyone remember this? something about people moving to high altitudes with CFS?
KDM once commented casually that he thought that ME/CFS patients did best at about 5,000 ft--but I don't know what he based that on.
Was it something to do with erythropoiesis?
At high altitudes, low levels of atmospheric oxygen have marked effects on physiology, ranging from relatively mild symptoms, such as breathlessness and dizziness, to severe symptoms, such as pulmonary and cerebral edema.
Our oxygen-sensing mechanism increases the levels of erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein hormone that stimulates erythrocyte production in response to low oxygen levels in the blood by interstitial fibroblasts in the renal cortex. Erythropoiesis is stimulated when blood oxygen content is reduced and low oxygen levels at high altitude can also elicit this response.
EPO increases the red blood cell volume so the cells have a greater oxygen carrying capacity.
I'm right at 5000 ft. When I moved here from sea level though, I didn't notice a change in symptoms.Lake Tahoe =6250 ft.
Incline Village =6350 ft
Plenty of sick patients there./ not addressing at 8000 ft and above, as per OP's question, I know.
I had altitude sickness at 8000 feet (or a little higher) which I had never had before. I got a severe headache, some nausea, just felt awful. This happened pretty quickly within several hours of arriving. I don't remember how long we were there.
I later learned that B12 might help with altitude sickness and realizing all the problems people with ME/CFS have with B12 metabolism and utilization, it makes sense. If I were going to a high elevation (which I have not done for many years), I would take extra B12 and see if that helped.
I'm not sure what you are looking for with this question. I don't think the altitude was a problem per se. But I think that the exertion of climbing at above the heights mentioned was seriously harmful.
Interesting about B12. I follow Fredd's B12 protocol and perhaps that'll help should I chose to go through with the trip. May I ask if the altitude made your condition worse, lingering even after reaching sea level again?
I took a similar trip when I had ME--though I was in a milder stage then than I am now. The high altitudes really did me in--I couldn't walk 5 steps without getting dreadful symptoms. I don't know for sure whether I would have responded differently to high altitude if I didn't have ME, but I did respond much worse than the others I was traveling with. That said, it was a wonderful trip and I'm glad I went.The reason for me asking is because I've a chance, at long last, to follow on a trip in about a year. We will mostly travel long distances by bus and the altitudes will shift between sea-level up to 12500 feet. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to approach this trip and I have my doubts about it since the high altitudes are making me seriously worried.