Alex Trebek’s Wife Reveals the First Pancreatic Cancer Symptom She Noticed in Him
In a new essay, Jean Trebek revealed the first signs of cancer she noticed in her husband, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.
At the time, she thought his off coloring and stomach pains were the cause of “something he ate.”
Jaundice, a yellowing of the eyes and skin, is a common symptom of pancreatic cancer.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek shocked fans in March 2019 when he revealed that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now, his wife Jean is opening up in an emotional essay about how she first noticed something was wrong with her husband.
In an essay she wrote for Guideposts, Jean said that she noticed Alex wasn’t himself after dinner one night during a trip they took to Israel with their kids. “His coloring seemed off. ‘You feeling okay?’ I asked,” she wrote. “Alex is not one to complain. But he admitted that he was having some stomach pains. I figured, okay, we were in a different country. Maybe it was something he ate.”
But “things were still not right” after the family got home to California. Alex’s doctor “ran some tests, then some more,” Jean said. The couple went on a trip to New York and received a call from Alex’s doctor there that there were “some concerns.” The couple ended up cutting their trip short and, after a CT scan, Alex was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“It felt as if the bottom dropped out of my world,” Jean wrote. “I wondered then how long we had. More than a year and a half later, we’re still at it, every day a gift.”
Jean didn’t mention any other signs that she noticed of her husband’s cancer, but Alex said in a PSA in October that he had “persistent stomach pain” before his diagnosis.
Alex’s coloring seeming “off” was likely Jean’s description of jaundice, SurvivorNet points out. This is a yellowing of the eyes and skin, and it can be one of the first symptoms of pancreatic cancer, per the American Cancer Society (ACS).
What is jaundice, and why does pancreatic cancer cause it?
Pancreatic cancer doesn’t cause symptoms right away, and once symptoms do start, they’re often vague or unnoticeable, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
However, jaundice can be one of those symptoms. It is caused by a buildup of bilirubin, a dark yellow-brown substance made in the liver, the ACS explains. Under normal circumstances, the liver releases a liquid called bile that contains bilirubin. That bile goes through the common bile duct into the intestines, where it helps break down fats, the ACS says. But when the common bile duct becomes blocked, like in some cases of pancreatic cancer, bile can’t reach the intestines, and the amount of bilirubin in the body builds up.
When pancreatic cancer spreads, it usually goes to the liver, where it can also cause jaundice, the ACS says.
It’s important to point out that pancreatic cancer is not the most common cause of jaundice. Instead, gallstones, hepatitis, and other liver and bile duct diseases are “much more common,” the ACS says. If you’re experiencing jaundice, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor to determine the cause ASAP.
Since his diagnosis and ups and downs with cancer treatment, Jean said the couple has made some “lifestyle changes”—they’ve cut back on sugar together and shifted to a more vegetarian diet. Overall, she said the couple focuses on doing simple things. “We go on little walks together, if he’s up to it,” she wrote. “We eat dinner together. We watch comedies and movies on TV. Or we’ll sit in the swing in our backyard and sway to and fro, feeling the warmth of the sun, gazing at the flowers or up at the sky, knowing we are loved.”
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