Altitude Problem

In September I took a trip to LA. The idea was to learn how to fly fish with a friend who is an expert at this fine art. The day after my arrival we drove north for a good five hours to get to Mammoth Lakes. The trout fishing is supposed to be great up there. Imagine my surprise when I could hardly catch my breath at 7,800 ft. above sea level, the approximate elevation of Mammoth Lakes. True, I live at sea level and did not have any time to acclimatize to the higher elevation. True, I came down with a snotty cold and cough on the day of my arrival in LA. True, I have one functional lung. But it never occurred to me that I might be “altitude limited.” Fortunately I brought my Apple Watch with me. It’s capable of measuring oxygen saturation level of the blood. This number should be between 95% and 100%. I made a measurement and discovered that my number was between 80% and 90%. This is a “get yourself to the ER immediately” level. I toughed it out for one night, thinking that I might die from lack of oxygen, which is ironic given that cancer is the established culprit in my case.

After one night in Mammoth Lakes I told my friend Paul that I had to get out of there. He agreed. We travelled 40 miles south to arrive in Bishop, where the elevation is 4,300 ft. My O2 levels improved but didn’t get to 95% for the most part. I was sluggish and easily fatigued. This did not improve until I returned to sea level.

I learned a little about fly fishing but didn’t have the energy to pursue it consistently. We pivoted and spent some time in one of the best wild hot springs I’ve ever been to. We toured the desert in a vintage Land Cruiser and saw a lot of cool things; shepherds setting up a winter camp, petroglyphs, “roads” through canyons just wide enough for a car to pass through. The trip did not turn out as expected, but I had a great time and was relieved to return to sea level.

I’ve had this lung disability since 2018 and had no idea that I had an elevation problem. This is another byproduct of cancer, a second order effect. I wrote about getting boxed in back in February. This is a great example of an unanticipated event that limits mobility and leads to de-conditioning.