Long-time soap actor Greg Vaughan has provided an update on his health after being hospitalized with severe altitude sickness while on a skiing trip with his sons in Colorado.
The Days of Our Lives actor took to Instagram on Sunday, March 17, where he posted a video to thank fans for their support. As he previously revealed, his blood oxygen level was at 54%, and he had to cut his trip short. But, as he explained, he’s thankful he went to the hospital to get checked out.
“I just felt such an appreciation and gratitude for everything,” Vaughan said in the video. “Your prayers have been felt. It’s been a struggle, but I’m over the top. And, taking this moment just to say, I didn’t realize the things that I was going through.”
He continued, “My (original) post was simply just to educate, put some information out there and some things that I was feeling, just share that information and the struggle that I was going through, which I didn’t quite understand. And it wasn’t because I’m stubborn or just because I’m a father, a man, and didn’t want to go to a doctor. It is just something I thought was so minor that I could overcome it, just by taking care of myself.”
Greg Vaughan Instagram
The Daytime Emmy winner revealed he was diagnosed with “high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE),” adding, “With some good friends, doctors that had reached out to me, it kind of gave me some understanding on the aftermath, which was very, very beneficial.”
“But I’ve been resting, taking care of myself even though I live in a hamster wheel,” Vaughan shared. “I gotta get up and, you know, do my normal domesticated stuff, eventually. I’m tired of laying down in this bed, but I am feeling much better.”
Vaughan previously explained how he was suffering from headaches and shortness of breath on the trip, so he decided to stay at the resort to rest while his three sons enjoyed the mountains.
“I couldn’t quite figure it out,” he said in his latest video, noting how he was adamant about staying hydrated. “But, even though I was acting on it, it had a greater effect on me, and for which I did not even think, because my head was such in pain, and I was in a very bad state of mind – not being able to be out there with my kids on the mountain, enjoying their time, as well.”
He added, “I thought I was doing the right thing. Unfortunately, my lungs were full of fluids and my head was in severe pain and even migraine pills didn’t even help. So, I just want anybody that goes into the Colorado Mountains to know, it is no joke. It is this very serious thing, which I guess is why they call it the Mile High City.”
As he concluded the video, Vaughan once again thanked his fans, friends, and family for their well wishes. “I didn’t realize that it would make such an impression on so many people around the world,” he shared. “I feel tremendously loved and I can’t say it enough. I’m good. And I appreciate you.”
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