M.D. Mehmet Bilhan Hayırlıoğlu

As a 72-year-old retired teacher with chronic lumbar stenosis, I had tried everything from physiotherapy to nerve blocks with minimal relief. Dr. Hayırlıoğlu didn't just see me as another elderly patient with back pain. He spent an hour mapping my pain patterns with a detailed anatomical chart, explaining how age-related changes in my facet joints were interacting with old scar tissue. His approach was methodical: first a diagnostic medial branch block that actually worked, then a radiofrequency ablation procedure performed with such precision I felt nothing but warmth. What impressed me most was his follow-up call on a Sunday evening to check if I could finally tie my own shoes without crying. For the first time in a decade, I gardened for three hours yesterday.

Our 8-year-old daughter developed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in her right foot after a seemingly minor playground fall. Pediatric pain specialists were scarce, and we were terrified. Dr. Mehmet Bilhan approached her not as a small adult but as a frightened child. He used cartoon diagrams of 'pain monsters' to explain the nerve signals, created a game out of the sensory testing, and prescribed a multidisciplinary plan involving a pediatric physiotherapist he personally coordinates with. Instead of heavy medication, he started with mirror therapy and desensitization techniques. He remembers her favorite cartoon characters and asks about her soccer progress at every video follow-up. Her foot is now pink and warm again, and she calls him 'the pain magician.'

I arrived at Acıbadem Atakent's ER at 2 AM with acute trigeminal neuralgia—electric shock-like pain so severe I was dehydrated from being unable to drink. This wasn't my first flare-up, but it was the worst. Dr. Hayırlıoğlu, who was on call, didn't just administer emergency medication. He performed a bedside ultrasound-guided infraorbital nerve block with a portable device, explaining each step through my tears. The relief was instantaneous. But his emergency intervention was just the beginning; he scheduled me for an urgent MRI and designed a staged plan involving gamma knife radiosurgery consultation. His ability to pivot from crisis management to long-term strategy in the middle of the night changed everything.

Following a complex spinal fusion surgery at another hospital, I developed failed back surgery syndrome with persistent leg pain. Multiple doctors told me to 'learn to live with it.' Dr. Hayırlıoğlu reviewed my imaging and said, 'Your hardware is perfect, but we have a nerve trapped in fibrosis.' He proposed an innovative hybrid procedure: first a spinal endoscopy to lyse adhesions, followed by a targeted spinal cord stimulator trial. The procedure itself was done under conscious sedation so he could test my responses. What sets him apart is his procedural artistry combined with brutal honesty—he told me exactly what percentage improvement to expect (70-80%), not fairy tales. I'm at 75% reduction at 6 months. He runs a pain management orchestra, not a solo act.