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Travel to high altitude with lung condition: Need to take precautions?
COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Last Active: Sep 11, 2021 | Replies (45)Comment receiving replies
@sistertwo- Good morning and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. What a great question. My problem is lung cancer and loss of lung tissue and COPD. A few years back I visited my son in Portland, OR and we drove up to Mt Hood. My O2 levels were ok but boy did I feel the altitude! I felt ill and my legs could barely climb the stairs. I did however acclimate and was able to walk around and look up at the top.
My suggestion is to talk with his Pulmonologist and see if additional O2 might help or be recommended. 91-92 is on the low side but still considered good. Are you flying or driving?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323292#preparing-for-high-altitude
Replies to "@sistertwo- Good morning and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. What a great question. My problem is..."
We are driving. I wish he had a pulmonologists! I wish he could see a doctor. With the virus everything is being put off and since his procedure he has not had an actual heart or lung doctor (smaller community). If he can get in for an appointment before we go (in a month) I would feel so much better, but they quit taking non-emergency patients last March and currently the numbers of COVID have greatly increased in our area. I don't know what is the lessor of the two evils. Were we are traveling the rate is much lower, so that is comforting.
Anyway, yes we have a couple pulse oximeters and we check the levels daily, especially when we travel. When it is low I check mine, too, so I know if it is the environment of just him. At night his O2 goes quite low (concerning to me, brushed off by him).
Those O2 meters are awesome! He could never tell when his heart was beating really fast so if we would have had one when his heart rate was going crazy, he could have been treated before he got so bad. I since have sent several to family members when they or their spouse has had issues. They are a greatly appreciative gift.
Thank you for the link and your responds. Greatly appreciated.
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Something else I should of mentioned in a post I just did was a finger o2 sensor the people from CA tried it when they were short of breath and o2 levels were in the dangerous levels that's when we used the bottled oxygen to get more o2 in their system good luck with Colorado you could drive back to lower altitudes in the Andes mtns that was a bit tougher dave