Patient Experience
I was a complete emergency case, rushed to Acibadem Atakent after a near-drowning incident in the Marmara Sea. Dr. Nurgul Naurzvai was the on-call pulmonologist. I was terrified, coughing up water, struggling for air. She had this incredible calmness that cut through my panic. She didn't just order scans; she sat by my bedside, explained every wheeze and crackle she heard with her stethoscope, and drew diagrams of how seawater affects alveoli. Her treatment for the secondary pneumonia was aggressive but precise. She visited me three times daily, even on her day off, to monitor my lung function. She didn't just save my lungs; she gave me back my confidence to breathe deeply again. A true lifesaver in the literal sense.
My 7-year-old son, Timur, has severe asthma. Previous doctors just increased his inhaler doses. Dr. Naurzvai did something revolutionary: she treated the child, not just the chart. She spent 45 minutes in the first consultation asking him about his football games, his pet hamster, and when he felt his 'chest getting angry.' She created a color-coded 'breathing calendar' with him, using dinosaur stickers for good days. She identified a specific pollen from our garden cypress trees as a major trigger—something no one else had pinpointed. Her approach was a blend of hard science and gentle psychology. His emergency inhaler use has dropped by 80% in six months. We finally have a doctor who speaks his language.
As an 82-year-old former smoker with chronic COPD, I expected to be just another number. My follow-up visit with Dr. Naurzvai was nothing short of astonishing. She didn't just review my spirometry results; she reviewed my life. She noticed from my file I lived alone and asked detailed questions about my cooking habits (fumes), my old carpet (dust), and even the type of coal I used for my antique stove. She then coordinated with the hospital's physiotherapy unit to design a seated breathing exercise routine for my arthritic knees. Her holistic view turned a routine checkup into a comprehensive life-management session. She treats me with the respect of an elder, not the impatience reserved for the elderly.
My case was complex: a rare benign tracheal tumor causing progressive stridor. Multiple surgeons had described the resection as 'high-risk.' Dr. Nurgul Naurzvai, leading a multidisciplinary team, presented a different plan. What stood out was her transparency. She used a 3D-printed model of my own airway, created from my CT scans, to show me exactly where the tumor was and how her team would approach it. She discussed potential complications not as vague risks, but as specific, manageable scenarios. Post-surgery, her monitoring was meticulous. She personally checked my airway suctioning for the first 48 hours. Her expertise wasn't just in the successful surgery, but in the fearless, detailed communication that allowed me to consent to it with peace of mind. A master of her craft.