Altitude Sickness

Friday
7.18.2008

During the night I got sick, really sick. I couldn´t figure out what was going on. My skin was really red like I had got sunburn, even though my body had been covered during the full moon hike and even though half of the hike was at night. I felt like I was going to vomit all night and maybe I had a fever. I certainly couldn´t get warm. All my energy was sapped. In the middle of the night I felt so awful I told myself I didn´t care if I couldn´t attempt the Santiaguito hike on Saturday if I still felt like this.

I wanted to skip my Spanish lesson, too. But i had enough strength, and enough pride, to go from 8am to 1pm when I should have been sleeping. My brain didn´t work and neither did my Spanish. I looked at the symptoms for altitude sickness and everything I read matched my experience. Incidents of Altitude Sickness, or AMS, typically happen above 6,500 feet and increase dramatically above 12,000 feet. Xela is at almost 8,000 feet and Volcan Santa Maria is above 12,000 feet. At 8,000 feet the amount of oxygen is 25% less than at sea level and northern Belize is all at sea level. During the full moon hike we had a very rapid ascent, too. I think the cold and the early morning start were additional aggravators.

The only cure for altitude sickness is to descend to lower altitudes, drink water, and sleep alot. I didn´t do enough sleeping but I did move slowly all day. I bought lots of food and 6 liters of water for the Santiaguito hike tomorrow. I wonder if I will have the strength to go. . .
-AR