Frank,
Can you give a little more detail about the ‘situation’. That’s a broad category. There are pulmonary, cardiac, musculoskeletal categories involved. That will impact the referral.
Pete
Sure – While I don’t have any residual impact at this time I had what I felt was an unusual timeline and wondered what might be the cause. I can provide more detail directly.
After having to turn around at 18,000 on Volcano Galan due to incomplete acclimatization, at the end of the hike out fully four days later around 9,300 I experienced hand and lower extremity swelling that lasted about a week.
The timing seems way off and the question would be – does this seem related?
Frank:
In my experience edema in the hands and feet can come from hiking with a heavy pack. I’ve had ,especially the hand swelling when hiking with a pack. I’ve always attributed it to the pack straps reducing the veinous return. Did you suffer any pulmonary or cerebral edema on the mountain? If not then I don’t think your failure to acclimate and the swelling are related.
I had a pretty light pack – burros had the heavy stuff. And I do a lot of similar hiking all year. Not that the first time can’t occur. . .
On the ascent I turned around as I was getting early signs – big headache, dizzy, and the stomach starting to head towards nausea – given the location with pretty much zero extraction possibility that was enough of a signal to stop.
Unless that last paragraph suggests something else I’ll leave it at a new unrelated effect I’ll probably have again, if the cerebral signals imply something else that would be interesting.
