Altitude Testing

You may recall I wrote a few months back about the risks of altitude sickness or AMS. This obviously is one of the key things we are worrying about as the departure date looms ever closer.  It is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to predict who will and won’t suffer. For control freaks like Dele and I this is obviously unsettling. As a way of regaining some control we decided to visit ‘The Altitude Centre’ in London. This centre is able to mimic conditions of high altitude and provide some guidance on how susceptible to altitude sickness we might be.

So one wet day off we went.

On arrival we sat on a rather incongruous looking purple velvet sofa nervously eyeing up some oxygen masks, an alarming looking graph and two chairs very reminiscent of the diary room chair on Big Brother.  What had we let ourselves in for?

Was Big Brother watching us?

The first test measured something called Forced Vital Capacity. This assesses lung function by measuring the amount of air blown out after a full breath. So we had to take a big breath in, sucking in as much air as possible then blowing it all out into a little tube like machine as quickly and for as long as possible. Take it from me; it’s a lot harder than it sounds. “Who wants to go first?” asked the friendly man. “It was your idea to do this so you go first” was Dele’s reply.  I couldn’t argue with that! We did have to complete this task with our backs to each other as we have been known to get the giggles – a lot!

The second task we did together.  Take a breath in, breathe out completely so that your lungs are empty and then see how long you can wait before taking a breath.  Go on, have a go. 

I may have looked a little like this...

See, it isn’t easy is it? You are effectively fighting your body’s reflex to breathe and it is quite painful after a remarkably short period of time. It measures your body’s tolerance to carbon dioxide. I managed about 25 seconds; Dele beat me by about 5 seconds. Apparently that’s a good result for both of us.

Finally we got to see what happens in our bodies when breathing in a low oxygen atmosphere such as at 4000 metres.  It was like being in hospital with a mask on your face and a monitor attached to your finger measuring your heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Whilst attached to this you watched two lines on a graph to see what was happening.  The worst thing was you couldn’t talk, which for Dele and I was the most torturous part.  My blue line (blood oxygen) dipped and levelled out at above average whilst my red line (heart rate) stayed relatively stable – I was very proud! Dele’s blue line dipped a bit more alarmingly and her red line shot up which was a tad worrying. Apparently this means I am less likely to suffer from AMS and Dele is borderline sensitive.  Although not a definite predictor the testing has allowed us to feel more reassured about what to expect in terms of symptoms.

We also got some useful advice. The piece I seem to have retained is that Mark’s and Spencer Percy Pig sweets are very good for energy levels! I'm sure there was more but in the meantime I'll stock up on these!

Nom Nom Nom!

The written report we received a few weeks later stated that we were “Normal”. I know a few people who might disagree with this...