M.D. Nihal Özşeker

I brought my 4-year-old son, Ali, to Dr. Özşeker after weeks of a persistent, barking cough that kept him up at night. Our pediatrician was stumped. Dr. Nihal didn't just look at charts; she got on the floor with him, showed him how her stethoscope worked, and made him laugh. She diagnosed a rare form of pediatric tracheomalacia that everyone else had missed. Her treatment plan was gentle but effective. She called us two days later to check on him. We don't just have a doctor; we have a guardian for our child's lungs.

As a 78-year-old retired ship captain with 60 years of smoking behind me (quit 10 years ago, thankfully), I expected a scolding when my COPD flared up badly. Dr. Özşeker was different. She asked about my life at sea, connected my breathing patterns to old weather wounds, and crafted a management plan that felt like a nautical chart—clear, precise, and adaptable to storms. During an emergency admission for severe dyspnea, she was at the hospital within 20 minutes, even though it was late. She has the calm authority of a seasoned captain steering you through fog. My lungs are a damaged old vessel, but with her at the helm, I'm still sailing.

Mine wasn't a standard checkup. I'm a 42-year-old ceramic artist, and I was preparing for a complex thoracic surgery to remove a benign but obstructive bronchial tumor at another hospital. I sought a second opinion from Dr. Nihal purely for surgical clearance. She spent an hour and a half reviewing the high-resolution CT scans, not just agreeing. She pointed out a subtle vascular anomaly near the surgical site everyone else had overlooked and coordinated directly with the surgeon to adjust the approach. She wasn't even my operating doctor, but she prevented a potential intraoperative crisis. Her follow-up post-surgery was meticulous. She possesses a detective's mind for pulmonary anatomy.

After surviving a severe bout of COVID-19 pneumonia six months ago, I was left with debilitating fatigue and a constant, unsettling 'tightness' in my chest. Routine tests elsewhere showed 'normal lung function,' leaving me feeling abandoned and anxious. Dr. Özşeker at Bagdat Caddesi listened to my description of the sensation—'like breathing through a thin straw'—and ordered a specific cardiopulmonary exercise test. She identified post-COVID exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and diaphragmatic weakness, things standard tests miss. Her rehabilitation plan is holistic: breathing exercises, gradual pacing, and emotional reassurance. She treats the shadow of the illness, not just the ghost that's left. For the first time, I feel believed and guided.