Concerned about the Colorado altitude

[Cadmium]

Hello guys!  My name is Paul and I live in East Texas!  Here is my situation:

I am about to go on a trip with my wife to Colorado.  We will leave the last week of October for a whole week.  We plan to go to Pikes Peak, Estes Park and Aspen via I-70 west out of Denver.  It will be the first time that I've ever set foot on Colorado, so I am very concerned about getting altitude sickness.  

I have lived in East Texas almost all of my life, and the altitude here is between 450 and 550 feet.  The highest altitude I have ever been in was in far west Texas at a height of 2600 feet.  I have been through the Ozarks before, but the altitude in the Ozarks is very low compared to West Texas, let alone the Rocky Mountains.  When I do drive through the Ozarks, often times it makes my ears pop when I travel down a hill.  Otherwise these places haven't bothered me.

I am 37 years old.  I weigh around 300 pounds.  I do not smoke.  I do often get out of breath and my heart rate goes way up whenever I do heavy lifting or when I walk up hills or do other extensive work.  Sometimes I even get out of breath minutes after I eat if I eat a big meal. I have never had a heart attack.  I have no known physical disease, but I am trying to recover from a cold.  Anytime I have my oxygen checked it is always 100%.  

One other thing, I have a bit of an anxiety problem, particularly when I am in areas/stretches of highway where there are no people, houses or development!  I start to panic when I am in these areas, my heart rate goes up and I hyperventilate.  I am trying to control this mentally using certain ideas on the highway (such as planning my routes thoroughly and zeroing the trip counter whenever leaving a town to know how many miles it will be to get to the next town).  I however do not take any medication for this anxiety.

Knowing all of the above, do you think I have to worry about the Colorado altitude?  If so, what steps should I take?  I look forward to reading any replies on this.  Thank you, all!!!

[kenneltech]

What you need to do is walk slowly, and get out of the car about every 1/2 hour to acclimate (sp?) to the altitude, do this while you are going up.  Just get outside and walk around a little bit so you get used to the altitude slowly.  Take along paper bags, (you should know this) for hyperventilation if yo get panic attacks, but I think you will actually be fine.  Just go very slowly when you walk, because a lot of people who visit here have trouble breathing in the higher altitude, other than that, I think you will have a wonderful time!!

Oh yes, and the roads here aren't usually long stretches of nothingness, especially when you're going to the mountain towns and the tourist places!

I have lived here all my life, and you will be so mezmerized by the scenery, you won't think about the problems your having.

HAVE FUN!!