30

like I said earlier : for most people this means different shades of hangover . A few are on the epic side , and walk in to the hospital in Leh any day in high season you'll see some of these getting oxygen. Than you have a very , very small group that do really bad , like the one mentioned in the first link with a pulmonary edema , same fate as the Swedish travel reporter Klas Ekman in '08 . Was flown out of Cusco after a few sessions in a pressure chamber.

31

Perhaps this is getting a bit out of hand. Thank you all for your advice which I have read with much appreciation. Now let's end the discussion if we may.

32

My husband and I are in our mid-thirties, in good shape (bike ride up San Francisco's hills), but we got hit pretty hard by altitude sickness in Cusco.

Heading down to Ollantaytambo or another Sacred Valley town definitely helped. Taking it easy helped, but didn't make it go away. And it's HARD to take it easy when you're visiting a place like the Sacred Valley and Cusco -- there's so much to do and see.

Our suffering and our more than 1 week in Cusco means we did get to experiment with different ways to prevent altitude sickness.

And definitely see out that Anthony Bourdain clip that's been mentioned. It's hilarious but also demonstrates the worst altitude sickness. I do think Bourdain was a bit dramatic, but it is TV after all!

33

Interesting that you mention stilll reling queasy as newly arrived down in Sacred Valley , 2800-ish. Seen a lot of it over the years in Leh , Kaza etc. , around 3500 ( Three hundred plus of the travellers in the Cusco airport survey reported various degrees of GI symptoms , including vomiting . )

34

I had a lot of difficulties while arriving in Cusco - because of the altitude! First thought it was just the normal symptoms and thought I would get over it (headache, nausea, dizziness). I took all the general advices into account: drink a lot, don't eat a lot, take it easy etcetera. But I also started losing the feeling in my hands and face! So they wanted to send me to a private clinic, but instead I found a great English speaking pharmacy in Cusco: El Milagro, right in the center, next to the Mega Supermarket.
They gave me all the right medication and tips! Unfortunately it did not help enough, so I went through different (blood)tests, and apparently I am not really suitable to live at high altitudes (but I applied for job a here, for longer time so had to...). I keep taking medicines (everyday aspirin to thinner my blood, and altitude sickness pills from time to time when it gets worse). So my tip would be, if you find yourself in any problems with the altitude, find a good pharmacy, which can help you taking the right medication! Don’t wait and take everything for granted. Because sometimes just following the general advices won't be enough…!