The symptoms of DVT are swelling in the lower extremity of the affected limb below the location of the clot, and pain and sensitivity in the affected area. The body produces powerful enzymes which dissolve most of these clots, but in a worst case scenario the clot may become dislodged and travel through the circulatory system where it will become lodged in one of the blood vessels of the lungs.  This will cause chest pain and difficulty in breathing, and is a potentially life-threatening condition which requires immediate medical treatment and possibly hospitalization. If you are not normally plagued by blood clots the likelihood of one developing will be greatly reduced by getting as much exercise as you can while on the flight.

 

Allied to fitness, good health and general wellbeing, is the need to pay attention to the smaller issues of comfort… before they become a problem. Dehydration is something which tends to creep up on you, and has the potential to spoil the overall experience of the hunt – and long before twisted ankles, blisters or sleeping sickness get to you.

 

For African hunters, acclimatizing to a new hunting area is seldom a problem, although where one is suddenly thrust into the Zambezi valley, and forced to walk 20 or 30 kilometres after buffalo, dehydration can affect them as much as anyone else. Salt tablets or one of the many re-hydration drinks used by athletes, taken with at least a litre of water at the beginning of the day, is often enough to bolster one’s system against the change in climate and physical demands thrust on one’s person. If feeling excessively tired in the evening, and despite the almost traditional need to imbibe alcohol, another litre of water and a couple more salt tablets are likely to be more beneficial.

 

For visiting hunters, the effects of dehydration can be far more real and immediate, and is often an overlooked phenomenon. Perhaps the most noticeable symptom is that of fatigue... just feeling tired and weary. In truth, the syndrome starts the moment the hunter boards his plane from the USA or Europe. The controlled environment within the aircraft reduces humidity to about 20%, and this coupled with inadequate intake of fluids, or the wrong type of fluids (like alcohol or coffee), begins the dehydration process almost immediately. It is a long haul from the USA and invariably necessitates one or more connections or delays, often resulting in sleep deprivation which adds to the problem. A hunter visiting from the United States can usually count on at least 30 hours of travel before he is sipping his first whisky in the hunting camp, while from Europe 15 hours would be about normal.

 

Most hunting in Africa is carried out during the dry, winter season. Clear blue skies, and an almost absolute absence of humidity, coupled with the often hot and low laying areas to be hunted (anything from 1000 to 2000 feet above mean sea level with temperatures often approaching 25-30°C), makes coping with an extended flight and its inherent jet lag almost impossible. Simply put, the syndrome needs to be recognised and managed from the moment you board the aeroplane. Drink lots of water, get up and move around from time to time, and continue drinking above average quantities of water once in the hunting camp, till your body has a chance to adapt.

 

They say that while walking in the bush, if you begin to feel thirsty, you have already started to dehydrate. Water should be taken at regular intervals and increased during periods of excessive activity or exertion, heat or perspiration. That said, there are African hunters who will happily walk the whole day without taking a single sip of water, and not seem to suffer any ill effects. It is all about acclimatization, and few visiting hunters are in Africa long enough to adjust naturally.