What are the symptoms of a brain bleed? Jamie Foxx says he doesn't remember 20 days as he blacked out after stroke

“Creed III" European Premiere – Arrivals - Source: Getty — Jamie Foxx at “Creed III" European Premiere (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)

In a recently released Netflix special, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was..., actor Jamie Foxx opened up about his near-death experience following a brain bleed that led to a stroke. The 56-year-old recounted the events that called for emergency brain surgery, recalling the doctor telling his sister that they might 'lose him.'

According to WebMD, a brain hemorrhage, or brain bleeding, is a type of stroke that occurs when a weakened blood vessel in the brain suddenly ruptures. This results in a deficit of oxygen in the brain cells, leading to severe brain damage.

Once blood starts oozing out of the blood vessel, it irritates the surrounding regions of the brain and can cause swelling, known as cerebral edema. The pooled blood forms a mass called a hematoma. Since there isn't much space between the cranium and the brain, the oozing blood can quickly increase the pressure inside the brain leading to a reduction in blood flow.

As per Cleveland Clinic, common symptoms of brain bleed include sudden severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, confusion, lethargy, sleepiness, and slurred speech. Additionally, individuals with brain hemorrhage may experience loss of vision, difficulty in swallowing, stiff neck, loss of coordination, sensitivity to light, seizures, abnormal heart rate, trouble breathing, loss of consciousness, and coma.

Reflecting on his brain bleed, Foxx recalled that he was unconscious for 20 days after his stroke.

“April 11, I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for an aspirin. I realized quickly that when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what the f*ck to do… Before I could get the aspirin [clicks his fingers] I went out. I don’t remember 20 days," he said in his Netflix special.

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Jamie Foxx described his near-death brain bleed and stroke in his Netflix special

In his Netflix special, Jamie Foxx revealed that while filming Back In Action alongside Cameron Diaz, he started having a 'bad headache.' After his friends took him to a doctor, Foxx was given a cortisone shot and sent home. However, the Oscar winner explained that his sister knew that 'something was wrong.'

Jamie Foxx went on to criticize the medical care he initially received, commenting:

“What the f*ck is that? I don’t know if you can do Yelps for doctors, but that’s half a star.”

In contrast, he had nothing but praise for the hospital where his sister took him next. Interestingly, it was very close to the theater where the Netflix special was shot.

“She had a hunch that some angels [were] in there. Ya’ll saved my life just 400 yards away from here in Piedmont hospital. They put me back together again,” Foxx said.

By the time he was taken to the Piedmont hospital, Jamie Foxx had collapsed. The doctors explained to his sister that they needed to perform an urgent brain surgery on him.

“If I don’t go in his head right now, we’re going to lose him,” Foxx recalled the doctors telling his sisters.

Jamie Fox at British Vogue And Tiffany & Co. Fashion And Film Party (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)

He added that she “knelt down outside the operating room and prayed the whole time.” Talking about the near-death experience, Jamie Foxx hilariously compared Diddy to a devil at the end of life's metaphorical tunnel.

“Your life doesn’t flash before your face. It was kind of oddly peaceful. I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light. I was in that tunnel, though. It was hot in that tunnel. Sh*t, am I going to the wrong place in this motherf**cker? Because I looked at the end of the tunnel, and I thought I saw the devil like, ‘Come on.’ Or is that Puffy [Sean Combs]? I’m f*cking around,” he said.

Jamie Foxx explained that he woke up in May without any recollection of the previous 20 days. Although doctors explained that he would make a full recovery, the actor described it as the 'worst year of [his] life.'

He concluded by thanking several physiotherapists and a psychiatrist who allegedly made him believe in Christianity and brought his sense of humor back.