Altitude Sickness

[bkludecke]

I hope to get some clarity here.

New hire started yesterday - he lives at around 3000' elevation and we work/live here at about 7000' or so. He called in this morning saying he got "altitude sickness" or "the spins??" because he descended the mountain too quickly on his way home, so he couldn't come in today. FYI we get millions of visitors up here every year and I've never heard this one yet.

I spent some time learning what I could on-line this morning and haven't found anything to verify his symptoms other than possibly trauma caused by actually putting in a hard days work.

After over 40 years in business way up here at 7k' I thought I had heard it all. Anyone know anything about this stuff?

 

[gadfly56]

I hope to get some clarity here.

New hire started yesterday - he lives at around 3000' elevation and we work/live here at about 7000' or so. He called in this morning saying he got "altitude sickness" or "the spins??" because he descended the mountain too quickly on his way home, so he couldn't come in today. FYI we get millions of visitors up here every year and I've never heard this one yet.

I spent some time learning what I could on-line this morning and haven't found anything to verify his symptoms other than possibly trauma caused by actually putting in a hard days work.

After over 40 years in business way up here at 7k' I thought I had heard it all. Anyone know anything about this stuff?

I think his "spins" have a different cause. Everything I've hear of altitude sickness concerns moving from higher pressure to lower pressure, not the other way around. In fact, the usual treatment is to go to a lower elevation if possible.

 

[bkludecke]

I agree. I even looked at the pressurization/depressurization of airliners (cabin altitude) which seems to be comparable to this and I come up empty. I'm being careful because in this day and age there are no absolutes when it comes to someone's ability to prevail in a lawsuit, regardless of the apparent foolishness of the claim.

 

[petersonra]

I hope to get some clarity here.

New hire started yesterday - he lives at around 3000' elevation and we work/live here at about 7000' or so. He called in this morning saying he got "altitude sickness" or "the spins??" because he descended the mountain too quickly on his way home, so he couldn't come in today. FYI we get millions of visitors up here every year and I've never heard this one yet.

I spent some time learning what I could on-line this morning and haven't found anything to verify his symptoms other than possibly trauma caused by actually putting in a hard days work.

After over 40 years in business way up here at 7k' I thought I had heard it all. Anyone know anything about this stuff?

I would be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt for a week or so. He may be having trouble getting used to the altitude. I agree it is probably not with coming down but with being there all day. Takes a while to adjust.

in any case, he is on probation for whatever period of time you have for probationary employees and if he does not pan out there is not a lot of downside to just letting him go if he is unsatisfactory.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

High Altitude sickness is a real thing and many people get headaches etc from it. He may be more dehydrated then having high altitude sickness. I would certainly give him another chance

 

[bkludecke]

My thoughts as well. Hopefully he will straighten out and get through the 90 days. He seems otherwise like a pretty capable young guy.

 

[just the cowboy]

Happened in Colorado

Happened in Colorado

My wife and I were in Colorado two years ago, her and my son hiked at Flat Iron Rocks in Boulder. It was our second day out there from PA = 1200ft, I knew better I just found a tree to sit under. That night my wife got sick with headaches and dizzy spells. Doctor said just that much change will do it, he said take 1 aspirin a day while out there next time to thin your blood.

 

[Fulthrotl]

My thoughts as well. Hopefully he will straighten out and get through the 90 days. He seems otherwise like a pretty capable young guy.

watch closely. his "altitude sickness" may be a hangover.

fyi, i spent a week in new mexico, and colorado.
did jeeping at well above 10k elevation.

looked at my gps track. 7/5 went 244 miles, 9 hours, and total ascent was 16,561'
highest elevation reached was 12,300'. was in durango staying, at 6,500'.

no sickness, however a late lunch led to emergency
mexican food being consumed in dolores, colorado.
trying to get lunch in telluride was a poor life choice.

it was a close call.

 

[winnie]

Altitude sickness is real, but I would not expect problems going from 7000 ft to 3000 ft unless there is some other issue.

Dehydration was mentioned as a possibility. High altitude and dry air and you can lose water much faster than you are used to. My first visit to Santa Fe was a real eye opener on this!

Clogged ear tubes could be another issue.

Alcohol was mentioned: high altitude can amplify the effects of alcohol, so that consuming what would otherwise be a perfectly reasonable and responsible amount can surprise you and be too much.

If you are not used to 7000 feet it can impact your judgement; so you might miss signs of the above. As a 20 yr old pilot I flew at 9500 feet unpressurized. I flew perfectly safely, but on the ground I realized that I should not have been giggling over the air at air traffic control's joke....

-Jon

 

[Strathead]

Perhaps you misunderstood and he said, "attitude sickness."

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.

 

[drcampbell]

... we get millions of visitors up here every year and I've never heard this one yet.

There's a difference between visiting or sitting passively in an airplane, and working.

... I ... haven't found anything ... other than possibly trauma caused by actually putting in a hard days work.

If he's been unemployed for a while, a full day's work might be another thing he needs to acclimate to.

It's a real thing that can cause disorientation. ("the spins")
If he's a recreational SCUBA diver, he might be doubly at risk.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness

 

[Dennis Alwon]

My brother flew into Denver from Houston, Tx and decided to drive to Pike's Peak (the same day) and go to the top (14,000+ feet). You can guess the rest-- it was a bad idea.

Everytime we go to Boulder, Co and visit my sister my wife can feel it real bad- headaches for a few days. I feel it a tad also but that is going from a few hundred feet to 5,000 feet in a few hours.

I think dehydration is a major issue on ski slopes etc. My daughter had to be rescued and they were only at 4,000 feet or so. You need lots of water at those elevations.

 

[Coppersmith]

Perhaps you misunderstood and he said, "attitude sickness."

I thought that was the title of this thread until I re-read it. Made more sense for a bunch of electricians.

 

[bkludecke]

Thanks all for the responses. I think dehydration is the the most probable culprit here. Tomorrow should reveal a bit more on him.

 

[Sierrasparky]

The spins :? Sounds to me he hit the local watering hole before he left high altitude.

Make sure these new guys drink lots of water. At sea level that is 1.5 to 2 liters per day from what I understand. More at higher altitudes especially if it is dry.

 

[Timbert]

New hire started yesterday - he lives at around 3000' elevation and we work/live here at about 7000' or so. He called in this morning saying he got "altitude sickness" or "the spins??" because he descended the mountain too quickly on his way home, so he couldn't come in today.

I work every day at 10000', in my career I've worked for thirty years from 10000' to 14000'.

A 4000' change is unlikely to cause a problem. The rate of descent shouldn't have been an issue, never got sick parachuting out of a plane. We go from 10000' to sea level in about 1:15 everyday. Motion sickness is much more likely in my opinion.

I agree with others dehydration could be a problem. This is also known to occur with the addition of alcohol.

Altitude sickness is a real problem. Acclimatization is key. 7000' is unusually low for debilitating altitude sickness. A lot of people will notice the effects but it wouldn't keep most from showing to work. Going down is what resolves altitude sickness he definitely should have felt better in the morning after being down.

 

[Jraef]

I get altitude sick at 10,000ft, but my wife doesn't get it at all. It's different for everyone. But it's not coming back down that causes issues, it's staying up / oxygen deprivation.

Dehydration is the more likely suspect as others have said. I was told by my urologist (because I've had kidney stones twice) that I have to make sure I drink 60oz of fluids every day, but for every 1,000 feet over 3,00ft, I have to add another 12oz. So I was doing a bunch of work in Lake Tahoe last year for a week at around 6,000ft, I got real dizzy and realized I had forgotten to increase my water intake to 96oz (which by the way is a LOT of liquid, but luckily, beer counts...). It takes a long time to re-hydrate once you go too far, took me the better part of a day to feel normal again.

 

[wtucker]

Anyone know anything about this stuff?

I'll bet a doctor would know more about this "sickness" than any of us. Tell the guy to bring in a physician's note attesting to his fitness for duty. You certainly don't want anyone working with "the spins."

 

[bkludecke]

Well he showed up for work on time today and his journeyman/supervisor says he is working along just fine. We all had a good chat this morning about the importance of hydration and making sure to not wait until you feel thirsty to grab a bottle of water. We'll see if he has any more trouble with this or if it was just a one-off.

 

[gadfly56]

Well he showed up for work on time today and his journeyman/supervisor says he is working along just fine. We all had a good chat this morning about the importance of hydration and making sure to not wait until you feel thirsty to grab a bottle of water. We'll see if he has any more trouble with this or if it was just a one-off.

I'm glad it seems to be a minor hiccup. I wish you and him a profitable relationship.