In the world of aviation, pilots are trained to watch for —the kind caused by thin air at high altitudes. But Elias was experiencing something more insidious: anemic hypoxia .
His grip on the yolk felt weak, a classic sign that his tissues weren't getting the fuel they needed for aerobic metabolism.
Inside his bloodstream, the "passengers" (oxygen molecules) were plentiful; he was breathing just fine. The "bus stops" (his lungs) were working perfectly. The problem was the "buses" themselves—his . Because of his anemia, he simply didn't have enough red blood cells to carry the oxygen from his lungs to his brain and muscles. The Fog Sets In As he leveled off, the subtle symptoms began to escalate: