HAPE on Cho Oyu

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Roons

 
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HAPE on Cho Oyu

by Roons » Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:50 pm

Hi all

I wanted to share with the summitpost community a horrible experience I just went through on Cho Oyu.

I wrote this piece for friends and family, so please be patient with the little explanations of what would be obvious to you or I (about what HAPE is and what AMS is etc etc).

So many people came back to me saying I should share this out with the mountain community. So here goes.

I hope you enjoy the read as much as they did. It's certainly an experience I will carry with me for life:

http://kheirydotcom.wordpress.com/2011/ ... -the-ogre/

Stay warm and stay safe -

Kheiry.

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radson

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by radson » Sun Oct 09, 2011 6:33 pm

Great article Kheiry. Using the ol' 20/20 hindsight, one can see that breathlessness at rest is the key thing to look out for and you shouldnt have tried to make your way to ABC.

I had HAPE in 2008 and ended up doing quite a bit of research, it's why when I went to HA again in 2010, I was on Viagra ..well Cialis as a prophylactic measure. The Nifidepine I carried with me in 2008, seemed to have little effect.

On another note, HAPE and HACE may not necessarily mean the end of an expedition. This is of course controversial and risky but climbers have climbed again after getting sick. Try to find a presentation by Kevin deWeber MD entitled ' Return to High Altitude Activity after High Altitude Illness".

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The Chief

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by The Chief » Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:04 pm

You are both very lucky to have survived your HAPE experience.

The poor client that I lost locally two years ago did not fair as well as you both did. He was totally over come and died in less than 30 minutes or so after the initial HAPE symptoms were observed and prevalent. His lungs became so congested with fluid I could not even get the initial breaths in as I began M-M and then CPR. He was in complete respiratory arrest in less than 1 minute after collapsing.

The ensuing official Autospy concluded he had in fact died of HAPE.

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radson

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by radson » Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:16 pm

Chief, was that case outlined in this years Mounatineering accidents book?

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The Chief

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by The Chief » Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:41 pm

It may have been but not by me. I do know that the AAC folks found it quite remarkable and did some research on it via the several HA Research centers here in the US. We did report the incident to them.

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aran

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by aran » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:19 pm

Thanks for sharing, OP. I'm glad you made it out alive.

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Roons

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by Roons » Mon Oct 10, 2011 1:05 am

@Radson, thanks - I wish I knew sooner, but isn't breathlessness at rest also an AMS thing? I figured it was normal.. Til all the other symptoms developed in parallel :(

@ Chief, I can completely see how things can develop very quickly, something just didn't feel right. I'm so glad I got out of there.

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radson

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by radson » Mon Oct 10, 2011 4:40 am

Roons, I am no doctor but I regard AMS as more headache, fatigue, nasuea and dizziness. Whereas breathlessness at rest and the inability for normal exertion are for me the big warning signs for HAPE.

Before I forget, you may want to give you information to these guys:

http://www.altitude.org/hape.php

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nickua

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by nickua » Fri Oct 14, 2011 8:19 pm

Interesting report OP, glad you make it back.
Could you share what was your your acclimatization plan for this trip?
thanks

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radson

 
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Re: HAPE on Cho Oyu

by radson » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:41 am

Just another follow up. I am brushing up on AMS for a trip next month and came across this in "Wilderness Medicine - 5th Edition 2007'

"Pulmonary symptoms vary considerably. Everyone experiences dyspnea on exertion at high altitude; it may be difficult to distinguish normal from abnormal. Dyspnea at rest is distinctly abnormal, however and presages HAPE rather than AMS'

Dyspnea = Shortness of breath.


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