Kellie Staszak, Owner, Game Changer Pediatric Therapy, 38, recently had a small heart attack and came to the McLaren Bay Region Emergency Department after feeling chest pain while driving home.
“It was just kind of a typical summer day,” Kellie said. “I had to go to one of our Game Changer clinics in Saginaw to meet with a flooring specialist. I had my three kids with me, and I was driving home and started experiencing really intense chest pain – it took my breath away, and I had tears in my eyes.”
Kellie remembers cranking up the air conditioning in the car, so she assumed she must have been really hot at the time. By the time she got home, the pain had pretty much subsided, and she actually laid down and took a nap after.
“Once I woke up, I kind of thought, ‘That was definitely not normal.’ My mind went to a few different places – ‘Did I pull a muscle? Did I have a panic attack?"
Dr. Becky Lang, an OB/GYN with an office in Bay City is one of Kellie’s best friends, so she gave her a call and explained what happened. She advised her to go get it checked out, and Kellie drove herself to the West Side Medical Mall since she felt fine to do so at the time.
“Once I got there, I think they thought I might’ve had a panic attack, but I was still concerned because it was so painful,” said Kellie. “
They ran some blood work and other tests, and the physician there told me I had definitely had a heart attack. I panicked a little because I have no history of heart problems in my family, wasn’t taking any medication, and didn’t have any symptoms leading up to it. I had just gone kayaking earlier in the week and I didn’t have any issues at all.
Kellie was advised to find a hospital and cardiologist to go to. She called a friend who used to work with the cardiology team at McLaren Bay Region and the friend advised her to go there to see cardiologist Dr. Yousef Bader or Dr. Daniel Lee. She called the doctors and let them know Kellie was on her way.
“As soon as I got there, Dr. Bader met me in the ED, and he was totally on top of it,” said Kellie. “I was freaking out a little bit still and while the chest pain didn’t come back, my blood pressure shot right up. I asked if there was anything I could take to help me calm down, and he just assured me right away and instantly calmed me down.”
“He sat down with me, and it felt like he had a plan. He was very thorough, and went through a list of questions, ‘Have you ever had high cholesterol or high blood pressure? Have you been on a long trip where you could have gotten a blood clot?’ all those things, and I answered no to all of them. I actually just had an appointment with Dr. Lang the day before, and everything was normal.”
Dr. Bader calmly went through some scenarios with Kellie of what could be happening.
“His first thought for someone in my age category was a blood clot that traveled to my lung (pulmonary embolism), so we tested for that, and he said if that was negative, he thought it could’ve been a coronary tear, which was rare,” said Kellie.
“Dr. Bader made me feel so comfortable, because he went through every step, start to finish instead of just leaving me in the dark while there was so much going on. I can’t even explain it – just how thorough and patient he was. He would sit with me and ask me over and over if I had any more questions or if there was anything I needed. He checked up on me several times a day during my hospital stay.”
Kellie was at McLaren Bay Region for five days and ended up being diagnosed with a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Dr. Bader explained that she had a small tear in her heart artery that ballooned and created a blockage of sorts. Dr. Bader said it’s very rare and in over the 5,000 procedures he has performed, this was only the third case he had seen.
“I’m very fortunate I didn’t need surgery, and Dr. Bader assured me I would still have a normal life, and I’d be able to take medication and heal right away,” said Kellie.“I take medication now, and I’m just being monitored.”
Kellie felt Dr. Bader went above and beyond to ensure she felt comfortable and was getting the very best care.
“Dr. Bader called on me several times and asked how I was feeling and I was floored,” explained Kellie.“I’ve never heard of a cardiologist taking the time to do that with a patient. Usually, they are so hard to see, or you have to wait several days. Everything with him was so on point. I never had to wait to get answers, and every time there was a test, he was in the room talking with me about the results. He would always calm me down, tell me exactly what was going on, and make sure I didn’t worry. He never made me feel silly or rushed, and always was willing to sit and talk with me. He had the best bedside manner. I couldn’t have asked for better care from him. I felt like he really, really cared.”
Kellie told Dr. Bader she was planning on taking a weekend trip, which he assured her she would be fine to do and that I was good to drive.
“The next week following my trip, Dr. Bader even followed up with me to see how my trip went and how I was feeling. He really went above and beyond.”
After continuing to experience some fatigue, Kellie went in for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Rajesh Dandamudi. He and Dr. Bader previously went over her lab tests and were right on top of it. Dr.Bader even followed up with her to make sure all went well.
“The collaboration and the coordination of the doctors all the way through was amazing,” said Kellie. “
I definitely owe so much to Dr. Lang, Dr. Bader, and Dr. Dandamudi. You can’t find any better doctors than the three of them – not just their personality, but the knowledge and wherewithal they had, even with such a rare case.
I’ve been to other hospitals and other doctors, and I’ve never experienced patient care like that.”