Very informative post !!
I have some questions:
How can somebody know in advance is they are alergic to sulfa drugs ? any tester dose available ? or would taking a couple of tablets give some indiacation before the alergy sets in ??
what do we do to reverse the effects of fluid buildup in the lungs & the brain ?
As far as finding allergy goes, there are tests available for it, which are far safer than taking a test dose, even at home!
As for reversing the effects of fluid build up, well I guess that would depend on the severity of the situation and since I am not a doctor, I can't comment on what exactly would be the procedure, but for mild cases, as far as I know, it can be fixed with medication.
From my own experience effects of AMS can be dangerous as i saw within my own group.when we had gone to leh we had flown directly and except the first day we didn't have any acclimatization time as such and on second day we went to changla itself.My cousin had taken a bike to the top and was perfectly fine that day.for those of us sitting in the car had some issues(temporary dizziness,headache) when we stepped out directly at high altitude.But its totally amazing what a few meters of descend can do to AMS !.
Although we had taken Dimox with us we decided to use it only in case someone needed it badly..on the next day we had planned to k-top where we had ditched the bikes and everyone was traveling in the car and there we had lots of issues. my cousin's wife's hands started feeling numb and we were really scared.They had to be given oxygen dose on the way back.After that 2 days later my cousin had HAPE and its no joke.we were lucky to identify it quickly and get him hospitalized. there were lots of ifs and buts later on ,like being on a bike while riding to the top is better then being in a car or if dimox is taken whether or not HAPE will occur or not.So its better to be prepared with all the possibilities at such high altitudes when u are going for the first time or not physically fit.
Biggest misconception about Diamox is, that it will help, after you have been severely hit by AMS, as far as I can tell from personal experience, it doesn't works that way! You have to take it, before AMS hits you and you have to take the proper dosage, till you are fully acclimatized to the high altitude.