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Cameras were rolling when Dr. Sandra Lee realized something was wrong.
The dermatologist and “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out” star revealed she suffered a stroke while treating patients at her California practice, after initially brushing off alarming symptoms as a simple hot flash.
“It happened while I was filming the show,” Lee recalled in an interview with People magazine. “I had what I thought was a hot flash. I got super sweaty and didn’t feel like myself.”
After work, she headed to her parents’ house where she continued to feel “very restless” and described experiencing “shooting pains” in one leg. She recalled trying to sleep but not being able to. When getting up to grab a bite to eat, Lee noticed she was struggling to walk down the stairs.
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Dr. Sandra Lee revealed she suffered a stroke while filming “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.” (Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
By the next morning, her symptoms were hard to ignore.
“I would hold my hand out, and it would just slowly collapse,” she explained. “I noticed that I had a tough time articulating and just enunciating. I thought, ‘Am I having a stroke?’”
Turns out, she was having a stroke. An MRI at an emergency room confirmed Dr. Lee’s belief. She had suffered an ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood vessels supplying blood to the brain are blocked. Ischemic strokes are the most common stroke, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Dr. Sandra Lee underwent physical and occupational therapy after suffering a stroke. (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Discovery Inc.)
“It was just a shock,” Lee said. “As a physician I couldn’t deny that I had slurred speech, that I was having weakness on one side, but I was like, ‘Well, this is a dream, right?’”
“What essentially happened, is I had a part of my brain that died.”
Lee quickly entered a two-month recovery period where she underwent physical and occupational therapy for “very basic things,” including balance and movement. She paused filming and focused on her health as she worried about her hands – a core ability needed for her job.
“I don’t like that I don’t have total control of my left hand or the grip wasn’t as strong,” she told the outlet. “If I feel like I’m not at my best – it’s very scary.”
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Gili Amid, Dr. Sandra Lee, Dr. Zoe Indigo and Dr. Marie Stoddard Lyndsey attend a screening of “Dr Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.” (Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images)
Beyond the immediate recovery, Lee said the experience served as a wake-up call about her overall health.
“My blood pressure and my cholesterol were not under control, and I have a lot of stress in my life, dealing with my patients and the show,” Lee explained. “I want to think about it as a blessing in disguise. Because it reminds you to take better care of yourself.”
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Dr. Sandra Lee launched her persona as Dr. Pimple Popper in 2014. (Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty Images)
The dermatologist returned to work in January as “Dr. Pimple Popper” resumed filming. However, Lee worried she wouldn’t be able to perform more intricate surgeries.
“It was very scary for me,” she said. “There’s a lot of PTSD because it happened while I was filming the show.”
Lee said the experience left a lasting impact and a desire to use her platform to help others.
“In Asian cultures in particular, they don’t tell people they’ve had a stroke because it can be seen as a sign of weakness,” the doctor explained. “I want to get the word out that if you have symptoms like I had, make sure you see your doctor. Take care of yourself.”