<p>For what it’s worth don’t have dental work right before going. The most pain I’ve ever been was caused by a recently filled tooth.</p>
<p>Where are you going in Colorado and what are you doing? Visiting Denver and sightseeing is quite different than skiing in Aspen or a winter hike up Longs Peak. If you travel to Denver just take it easy for a couple of days and follow everyones advice concerning drinking, staying hydrated etc. If you’re going higher, see if you can stay in Denver a couple nights before you go up. If your flying into 8-9k ft. take really easy for a few days. If your leaving in two weeks I doubt you can make a huge difference in your cardiovascular fitness and it probably won’t change how well you handle altitude. If your hiking Long’s Peak…don’t. :-)</p>
<p>I don’t think there is anything you can really do in advance. I have traveled to altitude a lot. I take about 4 days to acclimate enough that I’m not really out of breath when I run or climb stairs. Headaches are common, but I do pretty well with Advil and lots of hydration. I ran an all out race in Santa Fe once- and it isn’t as high as many of the places I go in Colorado- and I thought I would die! I’ve even had trouble with my running in Amarillo!</p>
<p>Note that the tiny veins in your nose may be more likely to break. Couple this with a dry climate, and some people experience nosebleeds. Treat your nostrils gently.</p>
<p>My in laws live at 9,000 ft and when they moved from the east there were many adjustments.
Vaseline dabbed in the nose helped moisturize and reduce nosebleeds, Husband always takes gasx to deal with digestive issues.
Sleep…dreaming another interesting change.</p>
<p>After experiencing altitude problems about 8 years ago in Breckenridge I was motivated not to have the same experience. I googled the problem and found this .
<a href=“Ibuprofen Can Prevent Altitude Sickness | TIME.com”>http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/20/ibuprofen-can-prevent-altitude-sickness/</a></p>
<p>We visited Keystone over New Year and we followed the ibuprofen regime and hydrated. No one had any issues. Last time, I was awful and my youngest had altitude sickness and pneumonia.</p>
<p>Have a great trip!</p>
<p>Thanks for these suggestions. We may use the ibuprofen regimen when we go to Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore with my folks this summer. We live at sea level, and the one week trip will definitely be an increase in elevation. I need supplemental oxygen for elevation but am not sure how either of my parents or my sister, BIL or nephew will do with elevation. When we did the trip with my kids 10+ years ago, we were all fine.</p>
<p>Your are right about the unpredictability. When we went to Tahoe once, H & S were miserable with altitude sickness (thought it was the flu) and the rest of the group was just fine. S & H got SO much better when we got in the car and started descending, even tho H had to get out in the snow and put on snow chains!</p>
<p>Sally22 I linked to the same article on page one. I, also, have good results with that regimen. Glad to know others have as well. </p>
<p>Do it over time. If you start to have problems, go down in altitude and try again in a couple of days. I had this problem in the Alps once - fit and healthy teenager, but I went up the mountain too fast (sea level to ~11,000 feet above sea level in about 24 hours) and suddenly found myself barely able to stand up without clinging onto something. Needless to say, I went back down on the ski lift rather than skiing down! I tried again a couple of days later and was absolutely fine. </p>