Most people know stroke as something that happens suddenly, dramatically, with a face that droops and a body that stops working. But the reality is often far messier, far quieter, and far easier to explain away. A hot flash. End-of-day fatigue. Trouble swallowing some soup. These are the kinds of feelings most adults brush off after a long day – and exactly the feelings that preceded a life-changing medical emergency for one of television’s most recognizable faces.
Dr. Sandra Lee, the dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon best known to millions as “Dr. Pimple Popper,” was 55 years old and mid-way through filming her Lifetime reality series last November when something began to feel off. She powered through it. She went to bed early. And by the next morning, as a physician, she couldn’t deny what was happening: she had slurred speech, weakness on one side of her body, and eventually realized that what had essentially happened was a part of her brain had died.
Her story is striking not just because of who she is, but because of how ordinary her early symptoms seemed. In women, stroke warning signs can be more subtle and may not appear serious enough to seek medical attention, putting the person experiencing them in grave danger. Lee’s case has sparked a much-needed conversation about why those warning signs go unrecognized so often, and what every adult, especially women, should know before it’s too late.
1. Sudden Unexplained Sweating or a “Hot Flash” That Feels Off
Lee suffered her stroke while treating patients at her Southern California practice. “It happened while I was filming the show,” she recalled in an interview with PEOPLE. “I had what I thought was a hot flash. I got super sweaty and didn’t feel like myself.” She was a woman in her mid-fifties. A hot flash seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation. She dismissed it and kept working.
This is one of the most insidious stroke signs in women. Women may experience symptoms including hiccups, nausea, chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a racing heartbeat that have nothing to do with the classic one-sided weakness most people associate with stroke. Sudden, unexplained sweating or a sensation that your body is just not acting right, with no clear cause, deserves real attention, especially when it comes on fast.
The practical takeaway is simple: if you feel suddenly unwell in a way that is new, abrupt, and difficult to explain, don’t immediately reach for the most convenient label. Sudden physical changes during or after periods of stress or exertion are worth paying attention to, not waiting out.
2. Trouble Swallowing
That same evening, Lee noticed some trouble swallowing while eating soup for dinner. It was subtle. Strange. She was tired and figured she just needed rest. But difficulty swallowing, known medically as dysphagia, is a recognized neurological symptom that can point to disrupted brain function.
Trouble swallowing is a known complication of stroke. If a stroke affects the muscles used for swallowing, a person may have a hard time eating or drinking. This can happen during a stroke, not just after one. The brain controls the swallowing reflex, and when blood flow is compromised, that coordination can break down quickly and quietly.
This symptom is easy to blame on being tired, eating too fast, or coming down with something. But sudden swallowing difficulty that you’ve never experienced before, particularly if it coincides with other unusual feelings, should prompt an immediate check-in, not a shrug.
3. Unusual Leg Pain, Restlessness, or Difficulty Walking
After work that evening, Lee headed to her parents’ house, where she continued to feel “very restless” and experienced “shooting pains” in one leg. She recalled trying to sleep but not being able to, and when getting up to grab something to eat, she noticed she was struggling to walk down the stairs.
Lee also described feeling electric shocks going through her legs. These kinds of sensory disruptions – shooting pain, tingling, electric sensations – can signal that the brain’s ability to interpret or send signals to the body is being interrupted. Restlessness, difficulty settling, and an inability to get comfortable are often brushed off as anxiety or stress. But when they pair with other odd physical sensations, they’re worth taking seriously.
According to the CDC, sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body, is a classic stroke warning sign. The leg symptoms Lee experienced were a variation of this, and they escalated through the night while she tried to rest. If you notice new leg symptoms, especially one-sided, that come on suddenly and don’t have an obvious explanation like a workout or an injury, don’t dismiss them.
4. Arm Weakness or a Grip That Won’t Hold
By the next morning, Lee’s symptoms had escalated to something she could no longer rationalize away. “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?'”
Arm weakness and the inability to maintain grip or muscle control are among the most widely recognized stroke signs, and for good reason. It is directly linked to the brain’s motor cortex, losing its blood supply. Lee underwent two months of physical and occupational therapy to regain her balance and movement. “I don’t like that I don’t have total control of my left hand, or the grip wasn’t as strong,” she said.
The FAST acronym, standing for Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to call 911, exists precisely because these signs are reliable indicators. Experts stress the importance of getting treatment for an ischemic stroke right away. On average, 1.9 million brain cells die every minute an ischemic stroke goes untreated, according to the American Stroke Association. If one arm drifts down when you raise both, or your grip suddenly feels foreign to you, act immediately.
For more on how stroke symptoms can present differently than expected, this piece on signs of strokes in women covers important additional warning signs that many people don’t associate with stroke at all.
5. Slurred Speech or Difficulty Finding Words
This is the sign that finally removed all doubt for Lee. She described being all shaky, trying to speak, and noticing that her words were a little slurred. “I could not articulate very well.” Her instincts as a physician kicked in, and she made her way to the emergency room, where an MRI confirmed what she already suspected.
An MRI 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 type of stroke, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Speech disruption is one of the clearest and most urgent red flags. It can show up as slurring, as struggling to find words, or as saying words that don’t make sense when you intended to say something different. The earlier someone with a stroke arrives at the hospital, the more likely they are to receive effective treatment, and speech disruption, unlike some of the earlier signs Lee experienced, is harder to rationalize. If you or someone near you suddenly cannot speak clearly and there’s no obvious reason for it, call 911 immediately.
Read More: Stroke Prevention Tips: 3 Things to Avoid After Eating and 4 Before Bedtime
Why Women Are at Particular Risk
Sandra Lee’s story resonates with millions of women partly because her risk profile isn’t rare. She had a few risk factors before the stroke, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Her father had also previously had a mini-stroke that lasted a few minutes. These are common, manageable conditions that, left unchecked, significantly raise the odds of a stroke.
In the United States, 1 in 5 women between the ages of 55 and 75 will have a stroke. Women account for about 6 in 10 stroke deaths. While men are more likely to have a stroke, women are more likely to die from one. Part of the reason is biological. Women have some unique stroke risk factors, including oral contraceptives, which can nearly double stroke risk particularly in women over 35, pregnancy, during which the risk of stroke increases due to changes in blood pressure and stress on the heart, and hormone replacement therapy, which can also increase stroke risk.
There are also social dynamics at play. Women are more likely to experience symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, or overall weakness rather than classic one-sided weakness, and women are often busy caring for others and may overlook symptoms or dismiss them as minor. Lee fits this pattern almost exactly. She was working a long day seeing patients, dismissed her symptoms as tiredness and stress, and went to bed hoping she’d feel better in the morning.
The Treatment Window That Cannot Be Ignored
Lee said that initially ignoring her symptoms made things worse. “There is a window that you can kind of change the course of this, if you get it between an hour and four and a half hours,” she explained, adding that her symptoms “were a little weird.”
Starting treatment with t-PA (tissue-plasminogen activator), the clot-dissolving medication used for ischemic stroke, within three hours after the stroke is important for recovery. Lee believes she missed that window, and she’s been open about living with some of the consequences. Despite medical treatment, her symptoms have still not completely disappeared. She continues to notice slight difficulties with pronunciation and weakness on the left side of her body. “I notice that I don’t speak quite like I used to,” she admitted.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Every 3 minutes and 14 seconds, someone dies of one, according to the CDC’s stroke data. That pace makes the treatment window not just important, but urgent. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Call 911, so that treatment can begin before you even arrive.
What This Means for You
Sandra Lee described her stroke 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.” Her honesty about those risk factors is something every adult should take seriously, because they are modifiable. Research shows that more than 80% of strokes are preventable with proper lifestyle modifications, according to Henry Ford Health’s stroke program.
The American Heart Association’s 2024 updated stroke prevention guideline lays out eight core behaviors shown to reduce stroke risk: eat better, be more active, quit tobacco, get healthy sleep, manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar, and manage blood pressure. These aren’t novel recommendations, but the 2024 update, the first in a decade, reinforces just how evidence-backed they are. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a main risk factor for stroke, and high blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so having it checked regularly is essential.
Know your numbers, check them regularly, and talk to your doctor if they’re not where they should be. Beyond that, take Lee’s message seriously: if something feels wrong in your body, especially suddenly and without a clear explanation, don’t wait to see if it passes. The five signs covered here, sudden unexplained sweating, trouble swallowing, unusual leg pain or difficulty walking, arm weakness or collapsing grip, and slurred speech, can each appear quietly and alone. Together or separately, they demand immediate action. As Lee put it: “I want to get the word out that if you have symptoms like I had, make sure you see your doctor.”
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and is for information only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions about your medical condition and/or current medication. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking advice or treatment because of something you have read here.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.