A month after undergoing emergency surgery for a blocked bowel, “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak spills the beans.
In his first interview since the operation, Sajak told “Good Morning America” that he felt he would die moments before the surgery.
In November, the game show host began to endure “excruciating” agony while out for a morning stroll with his daughter. He was doubled over in pain hours later, about to enter surgery.
“I was lying on the bed in the fetal position,” he explained. “They try to treat your pain with numerous medications. And none of it – none of it – worked.”
Later, he said, his physicians gave him a medicine that took away his pain.
“All of a sudden, I wasn’t thinking about the discomfort,” he explained. “I just got these amazing pastels and faced flowing out of it.”
“I could hear my wife and daughter talking in the background. They sounded a mile away but were right next to me,” he explained. “They were conversing with one another. And I recall thinking, not morbidly, this must be death. This must be how death feels.’”
He was concerned for his wife and children then and was saddened that they would “have to cope with the fallout,” he said.
Of course, Sajak survived the procedure, and his worries about death were unfounded.
“It turns out that I was merely high,” he laughed.
“Good Morning America,” said Sajak’s procedure was “totally successful.”
He said doctors detected no underlying cause of the intestinal blockage. Therefore he doesn’t need to change his lifestyle.
“I’ve been feeling extremely terrific for several weeks,” Sajak explained. “I’ve been back in the studio, doing shows. Even after spinning the wheel, nothing popped. So I believe that is OK.”
Sajak’s longstanding co-host, Vanna White, stepped in to fill his shoes while he was healing. In the conversation, Sajak joked that he’s concerned she’ll take over as the primary host.
“I discovered she enjoys hosting, and I’m a little nervous,” he admitted.
Despite his quips, Sajak appears comfortable in his role on “Wheel of Fortune.”
“I’m still on my guard,” he remarked.