Hello all,

This past weekend my family and I drove up Mt. Lemmon near Tucson Arizona. We then rode up the ski lift to the very top of the mountain, elevation of about 9,000 msl.

I have never had any issues with altitude / elevation in my pre concussion days, only having to breathe a tad deeper to adapt to the lesser amount of oxygen. However, after about 10 minutes on the top of the mountain, my brain is doing some strange things in trying to adapt to the slightly thinner air.

What my brain was feeling wasn't painful, nor was it anything I've been experiencing in the past 2 years of this PCS fun, and it can only best be described as if my brain was trying to adjust (it was a noticeable feeling - weird I know), and was having trouble doing so. So, I was getting a tad dizzy, and opted to go back down the ski lift to the parking lot.

Felt fine once I got there, and brain stopped feeling weird. Unfortunately, (seems like our adventures in PCS always has an 'unfortunately' in there somewhere) I've been having slight headache, fog, and way more fatigue for almost a week.

Anybody ever have this?


Hope everyone has had a good week out there

Mike

Don't have any experience with this but just wanted to say thanks for sharing....I will be going to AZ next spring to visit family and have been wondering how the altitude would affect my pcs.

Hope that you are feeling better each day

This is a common problem with PCS. It was first clinically demonstrated in the 1970's by Dorothy Gronwall, Ph.D. It is more noticeable if you were to try to do anything that required serious executive processes.

Your muscles can work by demanding more of your lungs but your brain cells struggle to absorb the oxygen because of the lower partial pressure (molecules of oxygen are farther apart). I forget the exact terminology but it is a part of the study required to get a pilot's license.

Even getting acclimated to the altitude by allowing the body to increase the red blood cell concentration does not help the brain like it does the lungs and muscles. Different tissues have different abilities to absorb oxygen. Since only brain cells are not replaced like the other cells of the body regularly are, any damage or toxicity within brain cells can reduce the ability of those cells to effectively release carbon-dioxide and absorb oxygen.

You did the right thing be getting off the mountain. Cerebral edema (brain swelling) can develop from prolonged exposure to altitude, though not usually at only 9000 feet.

I have been sensitive to altitude for decades. I had to give up my pilot's license due to this problem back in 1981.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the thoughts. I used to fly sailplanes too and have had to put flying on hold until I feel the brain is healed or will have to consider stopping all together if it doesn't.

Looking back to a period 6 weeks post surgery (Feb 2010) I had a similar episode happen when we drove to Flagstaff and I had similiar 'brain wobble' sensation. Immediate dizziness, almost syncope feeling but felt a warm feeling in my brain. I was tired for the rest of the day but that's when I started with all this mess.

I also explained to my family that I won't be able to take a flight with them as I don't want to be stuck on a flight for several hours exposed to pressuration fluctuations that normally happen and stress that something 'might' happen to my noodle.

I remember you posted that your Dad had problems with anesthesia post surgery. Was he able to overcome the brain toxicity issues?

Thanks,

Mike