Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz revealed on Tuesday he has been diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. He says he realized something was wrong when he noticed part of his face drooping.
"If you see me when I grin, the lower part of my face on my right hand side is actually lower than the other side, and it was different. And my first thought is, this is not good, because this is an indication or a warning sign, possibly of a stroke," said Poloncarz on Tuesday.
Poloncarz immediately contacted his doctor, explained the symptoms and was told It sounds like Bell's Palsy, but he has to rule out a stroke.
"I contacted my fiancée, she took me to Buffalo General, the Gates Vascular Institute. We went to the emergency room, they immediately took me in. The attending doctors said it appears to be Bell's Palsy, based on your symptoms, but we cannot rule out a stroke, because these are some of the signs that you often see with a stroke, which is a droopiness on one side of your face. A slurring of words, you may have heard, I'm not talking probably enunciating exactly as I have because I'm still dealing with some muscle issues on the side because of a paralysis of a nerve that is associated with Bell's Palsy," Poloncarz noted.
Poloncarz says doctors did the full testing to determine whether or not he had a stroke.
"They did the physical test, they asked me questions. There was a whole team around me. Then they did a CT scan and an MRI. Very pleased to say I can guarantee that I do not have a stroke," he said. "And my political opponents may disagree, but I now have definitive proof from a team at Kaleida that not only have a brain, but it's in perfect condition, but I have Bell's Palsy."
Poloncarz says Bell's Palsy is actually an inflammation of the nerve that runs on the outside of the face, or outside of the skull along the face, and it impacts the eye, nasal cavities, muscles on the side of the face and the lines on the top of the face and mouth.
"It is not bad," Poloncarz noted. "It's a minor case, but it could have been much worse. I could have had a stroke, and because the symptoms are very similar, you have to check it out."
He notes, though, you have to immediately react when you may suspect something is wrong.
"I want to thank the team at Buffalo General and Kaleida, Dr. Elad Levy and his team there at the Stroke Center," Poloncarz added. "They have incredible treatments. They have an incredible team. Dr. Levy wasn't there, but his team was there, and they gave me the same type of service they would give anybody that they're questioning whether or not they have a stroke."