Patient Experience
My 8-year-old son developed sudden, unexplained facial tics and anxiety about school. Dr. Pelin Nar was the first specialist who didn't dismiss it as 'just a phase.' She spent an hour with him, using cartoon diagrams to explain how nerves work, and discovered through careful questioning that it started after a playground fall. Her gentle approach with children is remarkable—she diagnosed a minor cranial nerve irritation and created a game-based physical therapy plan. Within three weeks, the tics vanished completely. She treated my son like a little person, not just a patient.
As a 72-year-old with Parkinson's, I'd seen several neurologists who just adjusted medications and sent me on my way. Dr. Nar did something extraordinary during my routine follow-up: she noticed subtle changes in my handwriting that even I hadn't recognized. Instead of just increasing dosage, she coordinated with a physical therapist and occupational specialist at Ankara Hospital Acibadem to create a comprehensive movement strategy. She explained complex neurotransmitter functions using simple metaphors about 'orchestra conductors' in the brain. For the first time in years, I feel proactive about my condition rather than just managing decline.
Emergency brought me in after collapsing at work with what others thought was a seizure. Dr. Nar was on call and immediately recognized it wasn't epileptic but something rarer—a transient global amnesia episode triggered by migraine aura. What impressed me wasn't just her diagnostic skill, but how she handled the terror. While other doctors rushed, she sat calmly, asking specific questions about the moments before the episode: the quality of light in the room, any unusual tastes. Her methodical approach turned a frightening emergency into a solvable puzzle. Follow-up testing confirmed her suspicion, and her migraine management plan has prevented recurrence for six months.
My complex skull base meningioma required delicate surgery near critical nerves. Dr. Nar didn't just handle the surgical planning; she created what she called a 'neural map' of my facial nerve pathways pre-operation. Post-surgery, when I experienced unexpected taste alterations, she immediately identified it as chorda tympani nerve irritation rather than damage—something she'd anticipated as a possibility. Her follow-up care involved weekly taste tests with different Turkish foods (she joked we were conducting 'delicious research'), tracking minute improvements. Her blend of surgical precision and almost artistic understanding of nerve function turned a frightening procedure into a collaborative journey. Most surgeons focus on what they remove; Dr. Nar focuses on what she preserves.