M.D. Deniz Sebzeçi

My 87-year-old mother was admitted to Acibadem Maslak with severe dehydration and confusion after a heatwave. Dr. Deniz Sebzeçi was the attending physician. What struck me wasn't just her medical expertise—it was how she spoke to my mother. She knelt by the bed, held her hand, and explained everything in simple Turkish, even though my mother was disoriented. She didn't just treat the dehydration; she noticed a slight irregularity in her heartbeat that previous doctors had dismissed as 'age-related.' Dr. Sebzeçi ordered specific tests that revealed a mild electrolyte imbalance affecting her cardiac function. She coordinated with cardiology, adjusted medications with precision, and visited three times daily even when off-duty. My mother calls her 'the doctor who listens with her eyes.' Two months later, at a follow-up, Dr. Sebzeçi remembered small personal details about my mother's garden, asking about her roses. This is holistic care at its finest.

We brought our 4-year-old son to the emergency department at midnight with a terrifying high fever (40.2°C) that wasn't responding to home treatment. As parents, we were panicked. Dr. Sebzeçi, though an internist, was the specialist on call. She had a calm, almost melodic way of speaking that immediately settled our son—and us. She didn't jump to aggressive protocols; instead, she observed him play with a toy she offered, noting his subtle lethargy behind the fussiness. She diagnosed an atypical bacterial infection masquerading as viral. Her explanation was crystal clear: 'Think of it as a clever invader wearing a disguise.' She started targeted antibiotics and monitored him personally for six hours until his fever broke. At discharge, she gave us a hand-drawn diagram of warning signs to watch for. We've since switched our entire family to her care. She treats children not as small adults, but with a unique pediatric-aware internal medicine approach.

My experience was neither emergency nor routine—it was a diagnostic odyssey that ended with Dr. Sebzeçi. For 18 months, I had intermittent abdominal pain, fatigue, and brain fog. I saw seven specialists across Istanbul. Tests were 'normal.' I was labeled 'anxious.' Dr. Sebzeçi, during a referral for unrelated blood pressure management, did something radical: she spent 45 minutes taking my history again. She asked about the timing of my symptoms in relation to my menstrual cycle, something no one had done. She connected seemingly disparate dots—the bloating, the joint pain that appeared post-ovulation. She suspected a hormonally-mediated autoimmune crossover and ordered a very specific panel of tests available only at a few labs. The result? A confirmed, rare autoimmune endocrine disorder. She crafted a treatment plan involving subtle immunosuppressive therapy and dietary coordination. She said, 'Your body was whispering; we just needed the right language to hear it.' She turned my frustration into a manageable condition.

As a 52-year-old executive, my 'routine checkup' with Dr. Sebzeçi was anything but. I expected the usual blood work and a handshake. Instead, she conducted a two-hour 'health architecture' consultation. She analyzed my sleep patterns from my smartwatch data (which I'd brought), my stress triggers from a brief questionnaire, and even my work travel schedule. She didn't just look at my cholesterol numbers; she correlated them with my business trip frequency. Her intervention was preemptive and personalized: she designed a 'travel resilience protocol' with specific hydration, movement, and sleep guidelines for long-haul flights, and partnered with the hospital's nutritionist to create a meal plan for hotel stays. Six months later, my metabolic markers improved without medication. She practices a futuristic form of internal medicine—predictive, personalized, and participatory. She doesn't wait for disease; she designs health.