The Physical Aftermath

It's been two weeks to the day since I summited. Hard to believe it was only two weeks ago. But now I'm back in the land of reliable electricity and tap water I can actually drink.

Climbing a mountain isn't easy. Neither is flying 7000-plus miles. I've been feeling the effects of both. I'm just happy I missed out on a lot of other maladies.

Jetlag
This was probably the biggest ailment, particularly on the return. That 32hrs in transit wasn't much fun, and I had a pretty full day of tours before I even left Zanzibar. It didn't take long for my body clock to start winding itself back, but for about two days I wasn't sure what time zone I was in. Now I seem to be back on EDT.

Kili Cough
I can't take credit for the phrase, but I got it: a dry, unproductive cough. It hit after a few days - can't remember exactly when - and still lingers. My guess its caused by the dry dusty air. It was the worst right after the summit, due to all the dust that gets kicked up on the way down. It eased after I descended and the sea air on Zanzibar seemed to help.

Weight
Not my bags this time... me. The Irish guy in the back of the plane jokingly said I'd lose two stone (28lbs) on my trek. So how much did I lose? I don't know for sure. I was 5lbs lighter when I finally got home, but this was after a week of fattening up and drinking like a fish on safari and the trip home (hey, drinks were included and I got my money's worth). The britches I left at the hotel were noticeably looser after the climb, so I'm guessing closer to 10.

Sunburn
Had a bit of this too, mostly from safari and Zanzibar.

Sinus Congestion
I developed a runny nose on the second day, and somehow that turned into sinus congestion. Lacking a proper neti pot, I snorted a little bit of salt water at Sheffield. It worked for a few seconds... until I got a nose bleed. I average 2 or 3 every winter from the dry air, so this wasn't too much of a surprise. 12-hour pesudoephedrine (PE) helped a lot, but I can't help but wonder if it clashed with my sleeping pill. Which brings me to...

Lack of Sleep
I didn't sleep well the entire trip. Usually 4-6 hours, and Ambien didn't get me a full night on the mountain. The PE/Ambien combo led to very little sleep at Sheffield one night, so I gave up on the Ambien. I'm beginning to wonder if skipping the PE in favor of Ambien in the evenings would have been the better choice.

Malaria and Other Insect-Borne Nastiness
So far, nada. Insects didn't bother me nearly as much as I expected. Come to think of it, I seldom used my bug spray and I never got bit. Didn't see very many mosquitoes, and the flies seemed more interested in my SLR (which is black, one of the favorite colors of the tsetse fly). Still have to finish the Malarone. Speaking of which...

Malarone
I had previously mentioned how $$$ this stuff is, and on that basis alone I'd finish the scrip. Several on the trek said they were experiencing vivid dreams. I did too early on, but not anymore. Altitude might have played a part there.

Diamox
Yeah, this stuff will make you want to pee. And breathe faster. And supposedly help if you're psychotic. I went with 125mg once I was up to ~11,000ft and upped it to 250mg once I got to Sheffield. I think it helped... my Ox readings went up after I started and remained in a good range. (No comment re: psychoses.)

Gingko biloba
There's evidence that this will - or will not - ease the symptoms of AMS. I concur. I took 120mg twice a day at the start, but was down to once a day by Lava Tower mostly out of forgetfullness. I can't say for sure if this played any role in my AMS after Arrow Glacier.

Intestinal Upset
Fearing the worst, I took a considerable supply of pepto-bismol, imodium and two short cycles' worth of cipro, and mercifully didn't need most of it. The guy at the travel clinic suggested I take pepto every day, but I only needed it three times to deal with breakfasts that were a little greasier than I'm accustomed.