M.D. Yağmur Kuşçu

As a 72-year-old retired teacher with chronic lumbar stenosis, I had tried everything for the shooting pain down my leg. Dr. Yağmur Kuşçu didn't just offer another injection. She spent 40 minutes mapping my pain with a detailed diagram, asking about how it affected my gardening and reading. Her approach was a targeted nerve root block combined with a gentle physical therapy plan she designed herself. For the first time in five years, I slept through the night. Her follow-up call to check on me was unexpected and deeply compassionate. She treats the person, not just the pain.

Our 8-year-old son developed complex regional pain syndrome after a seemingly minor ankle sprain. The pain became so severe he refused to walk. Pediatric pain specialists were scarce, but Dr. Kuşçu at Ankara Hospital Acibadem created a child-friendly strategy. She used cartoon analogies to explain nerve signals ('misbehaving messengers') and employed a guided imagery technique during a low-dose ketamine infusion. She coordinated with his school nurse. Within three weeks, he was back on his soccer team, not just pain-free but empowered. She turned fear into understanding.

I arrived at the emergency department at 2 AM with a trigeminal neuralgia flare-up—the 'suicide disease.' The pain in my face was electric and unrelenting. Dr. Kuşçu was the on-call pain specialist. Instead of just heavy sedation, she performed an urgent, ultrasound-guided maxillary nerve block right there in the ER. Her hands were steady, her voice calm, explaining each step as my world dissolved into agony. The relief was instantaneous and profound. She saw me not as a dramatic chart but as a human in acute crisis, and her technical skill matched her profound humanity.

Following a complex spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis, my post-operative pain was poorly managed. I was terrified of opioid dependence. During my first follow-up, Dr. Kuşçu conducted a 'medication reconciliation' that felt like a forensic audit. She identified three overlapping medications causing side effects without benefit. She transitioned me to a precise, multi-modal regimen using a long-acting local anesthetic patch, a specific nerve medication, and scheduled non-opioid analgesics. She also taught me pain-distraction techniques. My recovery trajectory completely changed. She is a master architect of personalized pain blueprints.