Diamox

Altitude sickness is the biggest killer in the mountains and there are ways of helping to either not get it or keep it manageable, Firstly walk very slowly, Follow your guides pace and if he says to slow or stop then do exactly that, Hydration, You need to keep hydrated as you can get severe headaches which lead to tummy troubles and will get worse as you go higher, I was told to drink a minimum of 5 ltrs a day when going to Everest Base camp, I did that and with the help of Propel electrolytes i had no problems, The other thing to take is Diamox, You get these from your Doctor by way of prescription, I started taking these when i got to Phadking, A few others started at Namche Bazaar, If like me you live at sea level then take them as soon as you get above the norm, I met a few people who were feeling the effects in Namche so dont delay, Like all meds there are and can be side effects, With Diamox most people will Pee a lot more than normal and with me the need to pee came on very quickly, Sometimes i just had to stop and do it then and there, No need to be proud in the mountains, The very first time i went to the bathroom after taking Diamox i had the most painful pee i have ever had but luckily it was just the once, The other side effect which a lot of us had was very tingly finger tips especially in the morning and sometime my cheeks were also very tingly, You are always concerned that you are in the first effects of getting altitude sickness but as others got the same symptoms it made me feel better, If you have a feeling you are unsure of talk to others or talk to your guide, Even with the side effects it is worth the discomfort in taking Diamox and getting to Altitude safely, As soon as you have descended you can come off of them, I stopped taking mine when i got back into Namche Bazaar, Always talk to your doctor before taking meds ,Here is a good article on taking Diamox

https://www.tusker.com/Geografica/should-you-take-diamox-at-high-altitude/



Dave