'Dr. Pimple Popper' Sandra Lee reveals having stroke, says part of her brain died

"Dr. Pimple Popper" Sandra Lee revealed that she suffered a stroke after filming an episode for her reality show, adding that she initially thought it was just a hot flash.

In an interview with PEOPLE, the dermatologist recalled feeling something wrong during a Nov. 20 shoot. “I had what I thought was a hot flash. I got super sweaty and didn’t feel like myself.”

After finishing the episode, Lee went to her parents’ house feeling "very restless." Since she was having a hard time sleeping, she decided to grab some food.

“In one leg, I kept feeling shooting pains. I noticed that I was having a tough time walking down the stairs,” she recalled. 

By morning, she woke up having difficulty moving on her left side. “I would hold my hand out, and it would just slowly collapse. I noticed that I had a tough time articulating and just enunciating. I thought, ‘Am I having a stroke?’”

She was then taken to an emergency room, where an MRI scan revealed that she had suffered an ischemic stroke. According to Cleveland Clinic, ischemic stroke happens "when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain. They are medical emergencies and can be fatal."

"Well, this is a dream, right? More like a living nightmare," she said. “What essentially happened is I had a part of my brain that died.”

Lee immediately stopped filming the show and spent the next two months undergoing physical and occupational therapy to regain balance and movement. She returned in January. 

The TV personality then recalled factors that led to her stroke, “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 said. “I want to think about it as a blessing in disguise. Because it reminds you to take better care of yourself.” 

Lee stars in Dr. Pimple Popper, an American TV show airing on TLC where she performs dermatological procedures and skin care treatments on her patients. It's set to premiere a new season on April 20 on Lifetime.