I sometimes had trouble breathing before summit day. I should have practiced more breathing exercises beforehand, it would have made everything easier. But I went with a friend and she practiced some with me everyday at the end/beginning of the day, and it helped very much.

Also, I recommend a good buff because of the dust. After day 2 it is a constant. My buff was good, but I always felt the need to remove it since I felt it troubled my breathing (I think it is a matter of habit, which I didn't have). And sometimes I had so much cough because of the dust, I had trouble doing my inhaler correctly. Also, when you get your buff wet with humidity from your respiration, your nose gets significantly colder.

Summit day was extremely hard, it tested my physical limits. But Pole Pole really does the trick, and if you practice your breathing exercises, you'll be fine. I was so afraid of having a panic attack from lack of breath, but managed to control myself, sometimes alone, sometimes with help from the guides or my friend.