12 yr old altitude sickness

[jbseamus83]

My 12 yr old drew the youth only draw bull tag here in UT. Youth get to hunt this tag with a rifle right after archery season before the general seasons open up. We prepped over the summer and did a good amount of shooting and he was comfortable shooting the 7mm-08 out to 300 yds. We hunted an area that my 16 yr old shot a bull a couple years ago. We didn't see anything the first evening, but it was a good hunt and he had fun.

We got back to camp and I started to get things ready for dinner and my son comes out and says he's feeling really sick. He's always struggled with motion sickness and we recently learned that he is sensitive to altitude sickness as well. We were camped around 9400 ft. I gave him some nausea meds and he tried to lay down and get over it, but just couldn't. We decided the best thing to do was drop elevation, head home and then try again another day.

A couple days later we headed back out, but pre-medicated on nausea meds. We went into an area that I had very high hopes of and sat some meadows and cow called with a cow decoy (no other hunters during this portion of the hunt so I felt comfortable using the decoy). We hadn't been there more than about an hour and he started getting a raging headache. I gave him meds and he laid down, but just couldn't shake it. We finally decided to pack it up and throw in the towel. Without gaining elevation, we weren't going to see elk, and he just isn't able to handle the elevation right now. He had fun and we will focus on lower elevation hunts moving forward until we can figure out something else.

Any suggestions that anyone has who has experience with altitude/elevation sickness in kids - I'm all ears. We are originally from Texas and have been out here 5.5 years, but just don't have the experience with it. Everyone says to give them time to acclimate, but it's just hard with school schedules. Sometimes you only have 2-3 days to get them out before you have to get back. How do others deal with this?

 

[Wildabeest]

My daughter has had issues in the past going from near sea level to 10,000 ft for ski trips. Dramamine seemed to help her better than anything else.

 

[jbseamus83]

My daughter has had issues in the past going from near sea level to 10,000 ft for ski trips. Dramamine seemed to help her better than anything else.

We haven't tried dramamine. I had him on the supplements from Wilderness Athlete for a couple weeks prior to the hunt and during it. We also have a prescription for zofran from his dr for nausea that we had him take, but to no avail. Will have to try the dramamine.

 

[mevertsen]

There is a specific one for altitude sickness.

Acetazolimide

And lots of water.

Plus just taking it easy for 2 days or so before doing any activity.

I live at 5k feet.

Within 2 hours of leaving the house, I was hiking at a trailhead from 8800 feet. Got to the summit of the pass at 10,400, amd was feeling sick. Back down to the truck fast, and I was feeling better almost instantly.

Really the best prevention is long enough acclimation and hydration.

 

[marksjeep]

Talk to his doc about diamox.

Getting him down was a good call.

 

[packsaddle]

Diamox is what is given to hikers/climbers going to everest who get it.. it works. I went to Everest in 07', one of my buddies got severe altitude sickness at around 13k'.. med clinic in that village had to put him in an inflatable decompression chamber to readjust his body, then gave him diamox.. he went down to 9k' for a few days, then came up and met us at base camp at over 16k' and had no issues the rest of the trip. Otherwise.. like mentioned above, nausea meds etc aren't going to do anything, getting him down in altitude is the only thing you can do at that point without actual meds

 

[WildWill]

Another vote for diamox.

 

[jpc01101]

Ensure he is pounding water and electrolytes, often kids don’t.

 

[mevertsen]

Also. No dramamine.

 

[jpc01101]

Dramamine… may as well give me a sleeping pill

 

[WesternWyoming]

The most important thing, other than descending is hydration. It seems you’re drinking enough water but it can get serious fast. Drink until you / he urinates then drink some more. Also include EmergenC in the water.

 

[rjthehunter]

Water water water! Mix some goodies with it. EmergenC, liquid IV, or whatever you prefer. I travel from 1200ft of elevation and have hunted as high as 10k. Been lucky with no issues so far, but I usually try to stay dehydrated for the drive out (less stopping) then hydrate heavily once I'm close to my destination and ascending.

What elevation do you live at?

 

[devon deer]

You might think what's a flat lander Englishman giving advice, but this is only an experience.

Colorado 2007, family holiday, wife and 2 kids, 15 and 19.
I decided to walk up a 'fourteener' at the end of week one, but my wife started the same symptoms as your boy, we made the mistake of not acclimatising properly, arrival one day in Denver, then straight to our lodge at 10,000' feet, every day we dropped down to Breckenridge, her symptoms improved then returned when we got back to the lodge.
She never complains, but she said it was worth than giving birth, and wanted to fly home!
In Breckenridge we picked up some strong painkillers.
But, and I'm not sure if this is still the case, wee were offered a small oxygen bottle to rent, we didn't as the second week was spent at only 5000' feet, might be an option?
But as above, acclimatise first combined with LOTS of water, that is crucial.
And never underestimate this sickness, it can kill.

I made it to the top with my 2 kids, Quandary peak, snowed at the top in July!

 

[longbow51]

This might be helpful. Updated guidelines on the treatment of altitude sickness from the Wilderness Medical Society.

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2020/0415/p505.html

 

[pabearhunter]

Again 2 week before leaving home water, water, water. Than drink some more water to thin out the blood !!!

 

[Steiny77]

I live at 600' and the altitude elk hunting definitely gets to me.
What I have found that works for me is to ease my way to altitude, first night might stay at 3000', second night 5-6000' then arrive in the high country third night.
All that time drinking sh#tloads of water and no booze until I've been there a few days and have acclimated.

 

[Gulf of America]

All that time drinking sh#tloads of booze and no water until I've been there a few days and have acclimated.

Same strategy for low altitude cougar hunting.

 

[Huntnut60]

The best answer to this is Diamox, if you can get a Dr to prescribe it for a 12 year old. All of these other remedies/preventions “might” help. You will never know until you get him at higher altitude again.

 

[Muskeez]

I second the suggestion of Acetazolimide. I get it before any trips over 10k. You start a couple days before, and continue a couple days after you get down. It helped me a lot! it does make you have to and want to drink more water, and it also makes a soda or beer takes terrible. (carbonated drinks) One time I didn't continue the meds after descending from 12k+. I drove home to the midwest fine but then puked for the next 24 hours. So, ya, follow the instructions!

 

[jbseamus83]

Thank you everyone. I will talk to the dr. I was making sure he was drinking water, but he probably needed more than what we were doing. This definitely gives me some things to look into and talk to the pediatrician about.