Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Low Altitude Sickness?

This may sound crazy but...

The last two times I've been at altitude and come home I've
experienced some weird symptoms. In September I summitted Whitney, descended and went back to Mammoth. When I left Mammoth the next day I got VERY tired on the drive. I felt almost as if someone had drugged me. My head was kind of fuzzy. I had to pull off the road and have my wife come and pick me up.

Fast forward to this past weekend and again I was in Mammoth. Saturday night I had 9 hours of sleep and can't remember waking up even once. Then, yesterday on the drive home, somewhere around 4,000 feet that fatigue set in again and I again had that strange fuzzy-headedness. I've been up and down mountains and to and from Mammoth 100's of times and this is the first time anything like this has happened. Does anyone have any ideas?

Now both of those times I had not problems on the drive up. The problems are only showing up on the way down.

alcohol consumption?

On the days that I left...no. Both times I left from Mammoth in the early afternoon, 1 or 2 o'clock. Now the night before this time I had a few beers. On the trip where I did Whitney I hadn't had any alcohol the previous two nights.

if you have truly been up and down same area hundreds of times, then it seems unlikely to me that altitude is related and only now causing symptoms, so some other unknown factor/condition is in play.

Proof may be witnessed if symptoms occur in future unrelated to this drive. Time will tell. My 2 cents.

Allergic reaction to leaving the mountains. Solution, stay in the Sierra!

Acclimatized people who descend rapidly to low elevations can indeed feel ill effects (in extreme cases even life threatening).

Many people experience a sense of sluggishness when they travel to low altitudes. Speculation is this may be due to the thickening of the blood at lower elevations, and it is a reason why athletes who train at the 7-8k range for cardio benefits always arrive a little early for competitions at sea level, to give themselves a little time to adapt.

Of course, non-acclimatized people who go from high to low can also feel sick as leftovers from the trip up to high elevations.

This is only true for people who send long periods of time (several weeks or months) at altitude and who may have developed polycythemia (too much blood) and/or Chronic Mountain Sickness (Monge's Disease). This is distinctly different from the Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)usually discussed here, and the short visit described. Harvey

You might consider non-altitude related reasons for the blah feeling., i.e., is your job situation more stressful, an important relationship in jeopardy, your financial stability in question, etc.

The blahs might be your body's way of protecting you from a re-entering a difficult situation.

Just a thought.

(That'll be $75, thank you.)

I get headaches and sleepy every time I come back down from over around 10,000'. Always have. Doesn't matter how long I was over, I get all jacked up on the way down.
Oddly enough, I've never experienced any altitude sickness.

Yeah, it's a bit odd and has me concerned. I've never had any issue with altitude sickness either (on the way up). It seems so strange that anyone would have adverse reactions coming down.
The only thing different this year I can think of is that I was up at altitude at least every two weeks since May whereas in other years it might only be two or three times a year. These weird fuzzy head/tired symptoms only manifested the last two times. I guess I'll have to wait until next time to see what happens.

I, too, get headaches and nauseous on the way back down immediately on the western side. Once I get down the 99s I am ok. Just dread the final 6 miles to the TH.

Going up I have had my issues, but nothing serious.

Getting to the summit, I guess the adrenaline kicks in. All systems AOK. I don't snack at the top. I do drink water.

But my last two descents, I noticed I had these feelings.

Chronic Mountain Sickness...will research into that.

Danu, you sure it wasn't because of the constant "blah blahblah" about this, that, and the other from a particular Bruin?

Absotuley potisive.

My last couple of trips in 2006 I experienced symptons of "reverse altitude sickness."