'Days of Our Lives' star Greg Vaughan treated for severe altitude sickness: 'My lungs were full of fluids'
Vaughan also appeared in 'General Hospital' and 'The Young and the Restless'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actor Greg Vaughan is sharing that he recently received emergency treatment after a scary experience while on vacation in the Rocky Mountains.
Vaughan, who played the role of Eric Brady in "Days of Our Lives" for nearly 1,000 episodes, revealed the whole story on Instagram, where he shared photos of himself with an oxygen tank while explaining that he was diagnosed with "severe altitude sickness."
The star, who has also worked on popular soap operas "The Young and the Restless" and "General Hospital," joked, "I truly feel like I work & live in a Soap Opera!" before sharing that he and the three sons he shares with ex-wife Touriya Haoud, Jathan, Cavan and Landan, went on an early spring break trip to Colorado.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Greg Vaughan said that his oxygen saturation had been at 54 percent. (Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
"I was feeling somewhat tired after 1day, experiencing shortness of breath climbing a few flights of stairs, wheezy, some congestion after some cold snowy conditions, and a headache developing," he wrote. "I had hydratied all day, so into the night I drank a bottle of Pedialyte and NyQuil’d myself out to be ready to tackle BRECK w/the boys the next morning!"
Vaughan continued, "Unfortunately, it was a night of tossing, turning, no sleep, coughing, dry heaving & my head felt like it was in a walnut cracker! Disappointedly, morning arrived & I had to tell my boys, plus our friends who just arrived, I was staying home to rest & be my best for our final days to come!"
Greg Vaughan shared a photo of himself receiving oxygen. (Greg Vaughan/Instagram)
He said that as the day went on, his condition only got worse. He stayed home again the next day, but after two full days of feeling unwell, he went to an urgent care, where he discovered that he had severe altitude sickness.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My Blood Oxygen was at 54% & my lungs were full of fluids!" he wrote. "Blood oxygen, also known as oxygen saturation, represents the percentage of hemoglobin in your red blood cells that is carrying oxygen. Most people have an oxygen level of 95-100%…."
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According to the Mayo Clinic, fluid in the lungs in this kind of scenario is called "high-altitude pulmonary edema," and it "can be deadly."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Greg Vaughan stayed on the mountain against doctor's orders after being diagnosed with severe altitude sickness. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
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Shortly after sharing his story, Vaughan posted an update, saying, "Well, 4hrs later, a couple of bags of IV & oxygen tank strapped to my face, I was told that I needed to immediately get off the mountain!"
"However I couldn’t, we still had another day to go & wanting the boys to enjoy their last day on the hill tops! I opted to go home with an oxygen tank, a good laugh for everyone, and I know will follow, but my boys looked after their old man & fortunately they had friends on this trip!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He ended his story by telling his followers that even though he's been skiing and hiking many times in his life, "Colorado Rockies is no joke!"
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On a more serious note, he added, "As they say, ‘take a breathe and smell the roses!’ That is truly something we need to remember & appreciate!"