Patient Experience
I was visiting Istanbul from Germany when I developed sudden, severe abdominal pain. As a 72-year-old with a complex cardiac history, I was terrified. Dr. Tülin Tuğlular at Acibadem International was my lifeline. She didn't just treat the immediate gastritis; she noticed subtle inconsistencies in my EKG that others might have missed. She coordinated with the cardiology department, speaking rapid-fire Turkish and precise English to ensure everyone understood my Berlin medical records. Her approach wasn't just clinical—she held my hand during the worst pain and explained everything to my anxious daughter via video call. She turned a medical emergency abroad into a masterclass in compassionate, integrated care.
Our 8-year-old son, Leo, has been struggling with unexplained fatigue and joint pain for months. Pediatricians dismissed it as 'growing pains.' Dr. Tuğlular was different. She got down on his level, let him show her how far he could bend his fingers, and called his discomfort 'important clues.' She ordered a specific panel of tests others hadn't considered. The diagnosis: a rare pediatric autoimmune presentation. Her voice was gentle but firm when she told us, 'This is manageable, and we start today.' She created a colorful chart for Leo to track his 'superhero energy levels.' She bridges internal medicine and pediatrics in a way that feels like magic—treating the child, not just the chart.
My follow-up visit with Dr. Tuğlular was unlike any routine checkup. I'm a 45-year-old marathon runner who came in for annual bloodwork. Instead of just reviewing numbers, she spent 40 minutes analyzing my training logs, sleep patterns, and even my race-day nutrition. She noticed a correlation between my mild anemia and heavy training cycles that no doctor ever had. 'Your body is giving you elite-level data,' she said, 'let's interpret it like coaches.' She designed a phased iron and nutrition plan synchronized with my race calendar. She doesn't see patients; she sees intricate systems. I didn't get a prescription; I got a performance optimization blueprint from a physician who thinks like an engineer of human potential.
After my complex abdominal surgery, I developed puzzling post-operative symptoms—low-grade fever, strange rashes. My surgeon was focused on the incision site, but Dr. Tuğlular looked at the whole ecosystem. She asked about the antibiotics, the pain medications, even the hospital soap. In her quiet, methodical way, she pieced together a picture of a multi-drug reaction and a mild, unrelated infection. She presented her findings not as a correction to the surgical team, but as a collaborative puzzle she'd helped solve. 'The body speaks in whispers after trauma,' she told me. 'We must listen very closely.' She healed the unintended consequences of my cure with humility and astonishing diagnostic precision, making the invisible visible.