‘Part of my brain died’

Dr. Pimple Popper Sandra Lee revealed she suffered a stroke last November while shooting Season 2 of “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.”

“I had what I thought was a hot flash. I got super sweaty and didn’t feel like myself,” the reality star recalled to People in an interview published Tuesday.

Lee told the outlet that after cameras went down, she left her Upland, California, practice and headed straight for her parents’ house. That night, the dermatologist’s symptoms worsened, and by morning, she headed off to the emergency room.

After undergoing an MRI, Lee discovered she had suffered an ischemic stroke, which happens when a vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed, according to stroke.org.

“What essentially happened is, I had a part of my brain that died. It was just a shock,” the Lifetime star admitted.

“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?’ More like a living nightmare.”

Filming ultimately halted, and the physician spent two months regaining her balance and movement by undergoing physical and occupational therapy.

“I don’t like that I don’t have total control of my left hand, or the grip wasn’t as strong,” she detailed. “If I feel like I’m not at my best — it’s very scary.”

Looking back, Lee knows that there were aspects of her health that were not being taken care of.

“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,” she confessed, adding that now, she wants “to think about it as a blessing in disguise. Because it reminds you to take better care of yourself.” 

However, it was also harrowing to share her experience with the world.

“It is very stressful to open yourself up,” Lee told People. “Especially as a surgeon, you always want to show yourself coming from an area of strength.”

The same goes for Asian cultures, according to the skin doctor.

“They don’t tell people they’ve had a stroke because it can be seen as a sign of weakness,” she divulged. “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.”

The medical expert also noticed that she doesn’t “speak exactly the way” she once did.

As she put it, “You’re really embarrassed to speak because you notice it.”

Despite the change in speech, Lee returned to work in January, but admitted it was a “very scary” experience.

“There’s a lot of PTSD because it happened while I was filming the show,” she explained, noting that she’s “pretty much back to normal” now, aside from being on blood thinners and continuing physical therapy. “It really makes you realize how precious life is.”

Season 2 of “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out” premieres April 20 at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.