I observed that, after I increased my Diamox dosage on Kilimanjaro, not only did I feel better, and not experience any further headaches (whether mild or pulsating), but my readings also improved substantially (91% 02, 62 resting pulse, at 16,300 feet, up from 74%, and a 105 resting pulse).
Karin, congratulations on your trip.
Some thoughts:
If the O2sat had stayed too low for many hours and unresponsive to rest and rehydration, then HAPE would have been the explanation.
Your relatively fast response at the rest stop (for how long? 1 hour?) suggests you had "desaturated" with overexertion at 16,000 ft, something that does not happen at sea level.
The fact that you improved all the way back up to 91% at 16,000 implies good acclimatization, in fact, really good, at least as far as that component of high altitude living is concerned.
The resolution of symptoms could have been some unknown combination of rest, rehydration, refueling, and the Diamox. Just curious, did you carry any steroids like Dex for emergency use?
Harvey
