Hiking at High Altidudes

[Balding_Eagle]

Hi All!

I am new to these forums. I am planning on taking a 12 day hiking trip summer of 2011. I am making arrangements for a solar panel to recharge my battery. I have a REMStar Plus M Series and the highest altitude adjustment is 5001 - 7500 FT. However, I will be sleeping at altidudes which could exceed 10,000ft.

Does anyone have any experience and/or suggestions on the solar panel and sleeping at high altidudes.

Thanks for your help!

[roster]

Tell us something about your therapy. Pressure settings, diagnosis?

[Balding_Eagle]

My pressure is 11. I'm not sure what you mean by diagnosis. My sleep examine was a little over 2 years ago. I had 80 apneas or near apneas per hour. Since then I have been sleeping with my CPAP every night. Anything else you need to know?

[SleepingUgly]

I'm completely ignorant...but isn't there some issue with central apneas and high altitudes?

[tillymarigold]

We had a post not long ago from someone who lived at that altitude and reported that despite being completely compliant, she just plain wasn't seeing any relief. Personally I wouldn't want to sleep at much more than the maximum altitude for my machine for more than a night or two, but I guess you could try cranking up the pressure to compensate.

BTW I do live at 5300 feet.

[jnk]

I would think twice, and maybe consult an expert, if I was planning on sleeping at an altitude higher than 6000 feet. But, hey, that's just me.

"In fact, about 25% of unacclimated people will develop some symptoms of altitude sickness at 6000 feet. As elevation increases so does the risk of illness."--http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/bow ... index.html

"Talk with your doctor about altitude sickness if you have long-term diseases, especially heart problems, sickle cell anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or sleep apnea."--http://www.oxygenpartybar.com/AltitudeSickness.htm

"Travellers whose itineraries will take them above an altitude of 1,829-2,438m (6,000-8,000ft) should be aware of the risk of altitude illness. . . . Travellers with underlying medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, myocardial ischaemia (angina), sickle cell disease, or any form of pulmonary insufficiency, should be advised to consult a doctor familiar with high-altitude illness before undertaking such travel."--http://www.medic8.com/travel/altitude-illness.htm

[Patrick A]

I have been in the high altitudes over 9000 feet several times in my RV and sleeping with my M-Series Bipap Auto and have had no problems. When I was having the problems was when I was not using my machine. Go figure, maybe it's because I'm rather rotund.

[robrdavis]

I'd talk to your doctor and see what, if anything, they recommend.

My concern is with altitude sickness, specifically High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (aka HAPE). HAPE is a build-up of fluids in the lungs caused by a shortage of oxygen due to the lower pressure at altitude. I'm not sure if OSA may be a negative factor that would increase your risk or not.

Before I was on CPAP, I took a weekend trip with my search and rescue team for high altitude training. Our goal was to emulate a call out to a high altitude search for our wilderness team. As my team all lives and works at sea level, we did everything "wrong" in order to test how our individual systems would react and to familiarize ourselves with our own bodies' reactions to sudden altitude gain. The first night was spent at about 8.5 thousand feet and our second at 12.5. In that time only one of our people had any symptoms of altitude sickness. I came across one very fit hiker at the trail head who I needed to treat for altitude sickness. (15 minutes on low-flow O2 drastically reduced his symptoms and he and his buddy were able to drive down to the local hospital.) Personally, I only ever had a mild headache.

My advice, beyond that of what the doctor may give you is to make sure that you drink plenty of water and eat well during your trip. Make yourselves VERY familiar with altitude sickness, HAPE and HACE (the nasty Cerebral Edema [fluid build-up in the brain]), proper treatment (descend as rapidly and safely as possible, then seek medical attention), and remember the "climb high, sleep low" rule.

Other than that, have a great trip, come back safe and post some pictures for us!

[Julie]

This has come up in the past and I know that certain machines apparently can't adapt to conditions that high up. I would speak to the manufacturers of different ones, and/or Cpap.com and make sure you get the right info. You don't want to be up that high without your parachute!

[letchworth]

I would consult with a sports medicine specialist-- at least they could send you in the right direction. I would consider this highly dangerous without the proper supervision/support.

Sounds like an exciting adventure, but get the right advice first.
lechworth

[greyhound]

I used my Respironics M Series Auto in Peru at altitudes as high as 13,500 feet and had no problems. For what it's worth, my pressure range was 12-15.

[Muse-Inc]

Read this http://www.spacedoc.net/ascent_to_danger.htm on high altitudes and the drug Diamox used to help.

BTW, certain altitudes mimic the oxygen deprivation from sleep apnea as described here http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en

[Balding_Eagle]

Thanks everyone for the information. I am starting to question the wisdom in attempting this trip.

I used my Respironics M Series Auto in Peru at altitudes as high as 13,500 feet and had no problems. For what it's worth, my pressure range was 12-15.

Greyhound how did you power your device?

[greyhound]

Greyhound how did you power your device?

I had the appropriate plug adapter and just plugged it into an electrical outlet. No need for batteries.

[plr66]

Thanks everyone for the information. I am starting to question the wisdom in attempting this trip.

B_E, I think you're actually demonstrating considerable wisdom in checking all the details of your therapy so far in advance. Too soon to become skeptical of your ability to safely do the trip! I would mention that there have been a couple of related threads in the past year which had posts that I believe challenged the ability of backpackable size solar panels to power a cpap for a full night's sleep. I would second the suggestion that you contact cpap.com and a Respironics engineer to get a reliable answer to your question about altitude affecting your cpap's functioning properly. I very much hope that you will post the results of your research!