I am working on figuring out the time line and details, as i am uncertain of the details of how I was transported from Tagong to Chengdu. In short, I suffered from serious Altitude Sickness and had a serious reaction to some drug interaction, as I was not sure what medicine I was given, but taking any and everything hoping it would make me feel better. I found out later that there is a warning on the interaction with diamox and aspirin, which may have been the reason why I did not wake up that Saturday morning, May 16, 2009, in Tagong, China.
May was my last month in China. I wanted to see a different face of China by traveling to Western Sichuan and into Yunnan. Beijing is in the North East about the same latitude as New York. Sichuan and Yunnan are Southern and reaches West. I had heard there are more minority groups there and wanted to get a feel of what Tibetans are like without having to go through the visa trouble and deal with extreme altitude of Lhasa. I had overlooked the fact that one of the main highlights of my month long planned trip started in a place called Tagong, which sits at the same altitude as Lhasa, 3700 Meters. I just wanted to go horse treking through the western landscape. Just me and a guide. See and live in nature from a very different perspective than I have ever experienced. Well, in focusing on the dream and cultural aspects I chose to remain relatively ignorant to some really important realities of traveling up to Tagong. It was a choice to try and live more suíbiàn. To try going against my nature to challenge my self and experience life differently. I guess there is a time and a place, and this was neither the time nor place to loosen up. Or at least not about logistical details that put my health in danger. Im lucky to have survived and come back without too much damage. The damage or scars are psychological and emotional, rather than physical. It feels like i tried for a beautiful and seemingly innocuous wave and wiped out bad. Really bad. There is always a chance for disaster, but i couldnt have even foreseen anything to this magnitude. Now, I am a bit scared. Scared to take chances and scared to believe in the good nature of things. Its like those kids that dont survive long because they were born not feeling pain. So they bang into things and hurt themselves all the time. They cant learn, because they are missing the critical component to learning. The pain. I feel the pain, but i mentally and emotionally cant except some things that seem so brutal. But its just nature. Maybe my missing link is that I can't seem to process the reality. I could be doomed to disillusionment and fall into obscurity hiding from reality. Im really afaid of that more than anything. I want to understand and be able to work within the difficulties, but I think I am a bit weak right now. A few major blows and I havent gotten back up. I need a little help. But what can you do? We are all responsible for our own well beings right? If i fall back and have to catch up when i regain my strength, then so be it. I think I am a survivor. or I used to think that. Now that i have seen how fragile I can be, it has just psyched me out a bit. I need tech support.
Some Interesting Facts and Figures from data collected post hospital trauma.
Elevation Comparison:
Tagong 3700 Meters (12,139 FT)
Kangding 2,560 Meters (8,399 FT)
Chengdu 500 Meters (1,640 FT)
New York 234 Meters (768 FT)
Beijing 43.5 Meters (142 FT)
Never been interested in climbing mountains, but here is a good resource to compare elevations by continent.
http://www.health-care-information.org/injuries/high-altitude-illness.html
Advises to not to increase the altitude at which you will sleep by more than 1,000 feet per day.
High altitude pulmonary edema - This refers to the abnormal deposition of fluid into the lungs, resulting in compromised air exchange and shortness of breath. The patient requires IMMEDIATE descent for the symptoms to abate. This problem usually occurs above 8,000 feet and its onset is progressive over 1 to 3 days.
High altitude cerebral edema - This refers to an abnormal swelling in the brain and is the most difficult complication to treat. It seldom occurs at levels under 12,000 feet.
High altitude illness, more commonly known as acute mountain sickness, refers to the effect on the human body from exposure to a lower barometric pressure (more precisely, the lower amount of oxygen).
Everything I can remember taking in the 3 days prior to being admitted into Hospital:
Sanlietong (Chinese aspirin)
Tibetan Rhodiola (Herb for altitude sickness)
Xin Nao Xin Jiao Nang (Chinese Pharma for altitude sickness ?)
Diamox (for altitude sickness, one dose taken, one not taken)
http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/dia1131.htm
Acute Mountain Sickness
The usual dose is 500 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams a day in 2 or more doses, using either tablets or sustained-release capsules. This medication is to be started 1 or 2 days before attempting to reach high altitudes. It attempts to prevent the effects of altitude sickness from quick ascents.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetazolamide
Special warnings about Diamox
Be very careful about taking high doses of aspirin if you are also taking Diamox. Effects of this combination can range from loss of appetite, sluggishness, and rapid breathing to unresponsiveness; the combination can be fatal.
The highest I have ever been before Tagong:
Gunnison, Colorado, United States
Plateaus rise 1,200 to 2,400 meters (4000 to 8000 feet)
Even at this relatively low altitude, I remember how quickly water boiled and how easy it was to become intoxicated.
Water normally boils at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit under standard conditions at sea level (at one atmosphere of pressure). At higher elevations, where the atmospheric pressure is much lower, the boiling point is also lower.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_point
-
