Medical preparations for Mt. Kilimanjaro
Doctor's check-up
Heart ECG/EKG, chest (lung) x-ray, blood pressure, blood tests (cholesterol, electrolytes, liver function, kidney function).
My private health insurance required a letter from my GP to certify that I am medically fit to climb Kilimanjaro.
Yellow Fever Innoculation
You will need to get innoculated if you have never had a yellow fever innoculation before, or if you have had one more than ten years ago. It is VERY important to get this done at least two weeks before departure. I had mine done a month before departure and I fell ill as a result. Five days after the innoculation, I flu symptoms kicked in. Muscle pain everywhere, pain behind the eyes and headaches. It took me another five days to recover. My colleague also had problems, but he had different symptoms. He suffered from blurry vision.
Prescription Medicine
One box of Diamox, to help your body cope with altitude sickness.
One box of Doximal (Doxycycline) to help prevent malaria.
Some Ibuprofen tablets for inflammation
Some Imodium for stomach disorders
Micropur water purification tablets (Boiling water is not sufficient up there)
Basic first aid kit
SPF40 sunblock
Lip balm with sun protection
"Wet wipes" - the only way to wash yourself for 5 days
"Waterless" hand sanitiser
Report
The full medical examination did help a lot to set my mind at ease when my heart was racing at speeds I did not think was possible. No medical emergencies occurred there, but it is always a good idea to make sure you are properly covered.
Diamox
It did probably help. I say "probably", because at the time I started taking it I actually felt fine. So it is difficult to judge its effectiveness. One of the other people in the group did suffer from headaches, which went away after he started taking Diamox. The only bad thing about Diamox is that you have to urinate frequently. I can say that I did not suffer from any nausea or headaches.
Doximal
This is extremely debatable. I took Doximal and must still take it for about a month after visiting Tanzania. Our guides (locals) told us however that the malaria mosquitoes are only present at the coastal areas. Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar etc. Well, we had to change aeroplanes at Dar es Salaam... I was not going to take any chances! I got quite a fright when I was bitten by a mosquito at the Keys Hotel. Now that I am home, I am a bit paranoid.
Imodium
I did not need any, but one of the other people in the group had stomach problems and it seemed to have helped.
Ibuprofen
Did not use any. One of the other people in the group suffered from joint pains after the descent and apparently the Iboprofen helped a lot.
Micropur
The tablets I had took 2 hours to purify the water. Did it help? I suppose it did. I did not suffer from any stomach problems. If I did, it could also have been from the food as well. We were still served chicken on Day 3.
Sunblock
VERY VERY handy. A must have. SPF40 was fine for me. Just apply it frequently, even if it is overcast.
Lip Balm
Also VERY VERY handy. Apply frequently and ALSO AT NIGHT when you go to sleep. I tend to breathe through my mouth and at below zero degrees celcius, your lips can get dry and chapped very easily.
Wet Wipes
A MUST HAVE!! Also handy to "sanitise" after you have been to the toilets. Nasty, I know, but it is true!
Advice
Take everything in the list. Better to be prepared. Other people in the group also took nausea tablets, which apparently helped a lot. Myprodol is also a good idea. I read somewhere on the internet that taking aspirin with Diamox is not a good idea. So rather go for paracetamol, like Myprodol. Aspirin does have its advantages though. It thins the blood and prevents blood clots.