Prof. M.D. Mustafa Çetiner Reviews

My 92-year-old mother, Ayşe, was admitted with severe dehydration and confusion after a heatwave in Istanbul. Dr. Çetiner didn't just treat the numbers on her chart—he sat by her bed, speaking to her in the gentle village dialect of her youth. He discovered her homemade blood pressure tea was interacting with her new medication. He coordinated with cardiology and created a visual medication chart for her caregiver. Two weeks later, he called our home personally to check on her. He treats the person, not just the disease.

As a competitive freediver, I collapsed after a training session with bizarre neurological symptoms—tingling limbs and temporary vision loss. Multiple doctors dismissed it as anxiety. Dr. Çetiner at Acibadem Maslak listened to my detailed dive profiles, then ordered specific blood gas tests others hadn't considered. He diagnosed a rare form of decompression sickness occurring without deep diving, likely triggered by my asthma medication. His referral to a hyperbaric specialist saved my career. His approach was like medical detective work.

Our 8-year-old son, Deniz, was failing to thrive, with mysterious abdominal pain after every meal. Pediatricians focused on his gut. Dr. Çetiner, during a family consultation, noticed how Deniz anxiously watched our reactions when describing his pain. He gently separated us, spoke with Deniz alone about school stress, and uncovered a bullying situation causing somatic symptoms. He treated the family system, not just the child, coordinating with a child psychologist while monitoring his physical health. The pain vanished within a month.

I was the 'impossible case'—a 47-year-old with simultaneous symptoms of three autoimmune diseases, but all tests were borderline. After 18 months of suffering, Dr. Çetiner spent our 90-minute consultation mapping my symptom timeline against my life events on a whiteboard. He hypothesized a post-viral dysautonomia triggering autoimmune-like symptoms and designed a diagnostic-therapeutic trial. Within six weeks on his tailored regimen, 70% of my symptoms improved. He has the courage to treat when the textbook doesn't have an answer, using careful observation as his guide.