Colorado Springs - The Negatives . (Denver: wages, cost of living, places to eat)

[hollyt00]

I agree! For the most part, you can go hiking/enjoy nature for free. It's awesome!

[chamisa007]

"if you have any health conditions which cause you pain, skin or breathing problems, don't move here. The mix of the high altitude and dry air make those ailments miserable.[/quote]"

Is this previous post true? There seems to be a lot of healthy people in CO, and a lot of seniors here. Do any of you find health issues are worse here than other places you've lived?

[hollyt00]

You see a lot more people with oxygen tanks here, babies are born more with jaundice because of the higher altitude, many babies are sent home with oxygen tanks to help with the oxygen saturation...

It's pretty dry here as well, but I rarely put on moisturizer and don't have cracking skin like some people seem to. Only when it's extremely dry over a long period of time, maybe once or twice a year.

I would put the word "severe" on that previous post. Yes people here are healthy on average, but that's more because of the lifestyles that are promoted, which is really awesome. Encourages others to go out and do things as well! The climate is mild enough that people aren't stuck inside watching TV all the time.

I personally feel that you will find health aliments in a lot of areas- in the south the heat and humidity is awful, I'd trade that for the cooler, dry air up here in a heartbeat. Whatever your ailment may be, see what climate is best for it, and then come to visit for a week. That'll help.

[Deniselk]

I have pretty severe eczema, and get dry and cracking skin. As long as I use the Eucerin products I am just fine here. If you have skin problems, you will need to really pay attention to moisturizing.

[chamisa007]

Skin problems can be dealt with, it's lungs and hearts I wonder about. I'm 59, so starting to think about these things now. LOL
I've heard mixed studies about heart-health here---some say hearts are healthier because they have to work harder here (altitude), and some say the same working-harder part creates heart strain. But I just met someone who is 70 and still hikes 14ers.
But I also see a LOT of oxygen tanks in CO, now that I think about it! LOL

[hollyt00]

I think it probably has to do with any pre-existing conditions, and also what specific condition is affecting the body.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by chamisa007

Skin problems can be dealt with, it's lungs and hearts I wonder about. I'm 59, so starting to think about these things now. LOL
I've heard mixed studies about heart-health here---some say hearts are healthier because they have to work harder here (altitude), and some say the same working-harder part creates heart strain. But I just met someone who is 70 and still hikes 14ers.
But I also see a LOT of oxygen tanks in CO, now that I think about it! LOL

When I got here...from sea level...in June I started having high blood pressure problems far in excess of what I had previously. I went to three doctors and all told me that the only people who really get in trouble are those with severe heart or lung problems, and that everyone else adjusted over time. I questioned more, and all three doctors said that they had never had a patient who had moved here and had any long-term problems. And in my case, although it took 3 months, my blood pressure is back down to what was normal for me.

Now, are those 3 doctors 100% correct? I can't say...but I hope so!

I will say that I have a number of older, also retired, friends who want to come out and visit, and I have advised them to see their physicians first to make sure they will be able to take the altitude.

[chamisa007]

Thanks phetaroi--good news to hear!

[Terytee]

The altitude can affect people in many different ways.

Keep in mind Colorado Springs was originally established as a resort type community for people with health problems. People often came to Colorado from around the country for tuberculosis treatment. It was thought that the clean, dry air was good for clearing up the lungs.

My best friend's folks are both seniors and have absolutely no problems when visiting CO from their home in Arizona, however a trip across the stateline into Wyoming, and my buddy's Dad has oxygen saturation problems. In Cheyenne, his blood oxygen levels get really thin. He comes back from WY, into Denver, and he's fine. I think the elevation in Cheyenne is higher than Denver.

I think its difficult to tell how it might affect a person until they're actually here.

[Carrera32]

My wife and I moved to COS about 6 weeks ago. I have mild hypertension and take low dose lisinopril for it. Haven't had any issue whatsoever with blood pressure thus far. My blood pressure readings are the same as they were in NoVA (maybe that says something about NoVA, more so than here). As for acclimating, I was very active in sports (Open level 60+ age group in racquetball in VA) before moving here. Gave myself a month to slowly acclimate, and I still feel it a bit. If I take a flight of stairs at a quick pace, I 'm still a little out of breath, but only for a couple of seconds (only enough to make me think about it). On the other hand, I was carrying heavy boxes of books and other items up and down stairs the day after we moved in, and survived. I'm about to ratchet up the activity level a couple of notches and get into "Colorado shape'. Haven't played racquetball yet, as I want to build up some endurance first. But it's coming... Bottom line, from what I've read on these posts, the problem appears to be a very personal thing. If you're in good physical shape when you get here, you probably won't be affected that much, at least not in your day to day activities (but take it easy at first). If you have some medical conditions or are otherwise out of shape, it'll probably take longer (and of course, see a doctor before doing something stupid!).