4/20/06 . . . If you walked into a hospital with an oxygen saturation level of around 78%, you would probably find yourself in the Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator. However, in base camp, you find that this is a rather common phenomenon . . . we all have an O2 saturation level of just about that ... 78% that is!

About the only thing that happens is that you believe the whistling porter gallivanting by your tent is whistling Guns and Roses tunes (maybe its Patience). Or, you end up finding yourself hovering around the dining tent at 3 AM, just swearing that it is time for thru 5:00 AM feeding frenzy.

Other things happen too, like, the not so pleasant Acute Mountain Sickness suffered by many a poor soul here in Everest Base Camp. Many of these individuals end up descending to lower altitude ... or risk serious complications. Or, how about that nightmarish periodic breathing which always manifest itself at the most inopportune of times ... like when you are trying to sleep. A good night's rest ... forget about it. Fighting for breath during sleep always keeps a man busy, or in many cases, AWAKE!!

Also, the is a great deal of emotional ups and downs to deal with. Thought patterns are not patterned at all. So,those who had a "thinking problem" before base camp ... well, just have a little patience. Speaking of patience, I am assuming that the struggle for breath while trying to brush my teeth will just become normal ...eventually.

They say it takes two to four weeks to to produce enough red blood cells to truly acclimatize to these conditions. I think that is a little too long. Maybe someone should put in a drive in blood transfusion service right here in base camp. Why not, we must seek refuge from this self inflicted misery. But it is so much fun!