Patient Experience
A 28-year-old female professional windsurfer from Antalya presented with a rare, aggressive desmoid tumor in her shoulder muscle, threatening her career. Dr. Ağaoğlu designed a highly precise stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) plan to spare the surrounding brachial plexus and joint. The athlete underwent treatment during the off-season. She returned to competition 8 months later, with only minor stiffness, and credited the targeted approach with saving her livelihood.
A 72-year-old retired history professor with severe COPD and inoperable early-stage lung cancer was referred to Dr. Ağaoğlu. Conventional radiation was too risky. She pioneered an ultra-hypofractionated regimen with breath-hold techniques and daily imaging, compressing treatment to 5 sessions. His cancer was controlled with no pulmonary exacerbation, allowing him to continue his memoir writing without hospitalization.
A 45-year-old single mother and seamstress from a low-income neighborhood presented with locally advanced cervical cancer, terrified of losing her ability to work. Dr. Ağaoğlu coordinated brachytherapy with chemotherapy, personally advocating for social services to help with childcare and transport. The patient completed treatment with minimal disruption, achieving complete remission and returning to her workshop within 4 months.
An 18-year-old university student was diagnosed with a recurrent pituitary adenoma after failed surgery, causing vision loss and hormonal crises. Dr. Ağaoğlu implemented fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy with meticulous optic nerve shielding. Over 12 months, his vision normalized and hormone levels stabilized, allowing him to resume his engineering studies. His case required delicate coordination with endocrinology, which Dr. Ağaoğlu led.
As a 78-year-old retired cartographer, my world was shrinking due to advanced cataracts that distorted colors and details. Dr. Pekel didn't just restore my vision—he restored my ability to see the subtle gradients in maps that I'd spent a lifetime studying. During surgery, he calmly explained he was using a technique adjusted for my lifelong astigmatism. Now I can distinguish every contour line again.
My 8-year-old daughter, a competitive junior gymnast, developed sudden double vision during floor routines. Multiple doctors dismissed it as fatigue until Dr. Pekel discovered a rare ocular muscle imbalance triggered by specific head positions. His non-surgical prism therapy approach—customized with her training videos—eliminated the double vision within weeks. She just won her first regional competition.
During a university astronomy expedition in rural Turkey, a telescope mishap caused a metallic fragment to embed in my cornea. Dr. Pekel was contacted for emergency consultation via satellite phone. He guided the local medical team through stabilization steps, then arranged a medical helicopter to Atakent where he performed the delicate extraction himself at 2 AM. My research on variable stars continues uninterrupted.
As a 45-year-old perfume sommelier, I was losing my career to glaucoma—the pressure changes were altering how I perceived scent layers. Dr. Pekel developed a personalized treatment plan that considered how different medications might affect olfactory sensitivity. His innovative monitoring schedule has preserved both my vision and my unique professional sensory perception.
As a 72-year-old with chronic COPD, I'd seen many pulmonologists, but Dr. Dabak was different. During my routine checkup at Acibadem Atakent, she didn't just adjust my inhalers—she noticed my subtle weight loss and persistent fatigue that others had dismissed. She ordered specific tests that revealed an early-stage lung complication unrelated to my COPD. Her proactive approach, taking a full hour to explain the new treatment plan in Turkish with hand-drawn diagrams, gave me confidence. She even coordinated with the nutritionist downstairs. It wasn't just lung care; it was whole-person medicine.
Our 8-year-old son developed a mysterious cough that lingered for months after a cold. Pediatricians called it 'post-viral.' Dr. Gül Dabak at Acibadem Atakent approached it like a detective. She had him blow into a peak flow meter decorated with cartoon animals and listened to his lungs while he played a game on her tablet. She diagnosed exercise-induced bronchoconstriction masked by his active lifestyle. Her gentle manner—she knelt to his eye level—made him comfortable. The personalized asthma action plan she created with colorful stickers has kept him symptom-free for soccer season. She treats children like small adults, with complete respect.
I arrived at the emergency department at 3 AM with sudden pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath. Dr. Dabak was the on-call pulmonologist. While others might have jumped to common conclusions, she performed a meticulous ultrasound at my bedside, ruling out pulmonary embolism but identifying a rare diaphragmatic irritation from a recent gym injury. Her calm demeanor during the crisis—speaking softly, explaining each step—turned panic into trust. She followed up personally the next morning, not through a resident. In an emergency, her clinical precision and human touch were extraordinary.
Following a complex lung biopsy surgery for a suspicious nodule, my follow-up visits with Dr. Dabak were masterclasses in compassionate communication. She didn't just read the pathology report (benign, thankfully); she created a 'lung health timeline' mapping my recovery, future monitoring, and lifestyle adjustments. When I expressed anxiety about recurrence, she shared recent research articles in layman's terms and taught me breathing exercises to manage stress. At Acibadem Atakent, she transformed a frightening post-surgical process into an empowering journey, remembering small personal details from previous conversations that made me feel uniquely cared for.
My 82-year-old mother, who has late-stage renal failure and diabetes, was struggling with severe malnutrition and had lost all interest in food. Dr. Aras didn't just give us a standard renal diet sheet. She spent an hour in our home kitchen, showing us how to modify our traditional Turkish recipes—like how to reduce potassium in our bean stews and make her favorite zucchini fritters with egg white substitutes. She created a 'taste revival' plan focusing on aroma and texture rather than just nutrients. Within three weeks, my mother gained 2 kilos and, more importantly, smiled while eating for the first time in months. Dr. Aras treats the person, not just the disease.
Our 7-year-old son was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis after months of choking episodes. Multiple doctors said 'he'll grow out of it.' Dr. Aras approached it like a detective mystery. She had us keep a 'food and symptom diary' in a colorful notebook our son helped decorate. Through a meticulous 8-week elimination diet, she identified trigger foods we'd never have suspected—not just dairy, but certain food dyes in his favorite snacks. She worked with his school cafeteria to create safe alternatives and even helped him prepare a 'show and tell' about his special diet so his classmates would understand. Her pediatric nutrition approach is nothing short of revolutionary.
I arrived at Acibadem Atakent after emergency gallbladder surgery, unable to tolerate any solid food without excruciating pain. Dr. Aras was called in at 10 PM. Instead of just recommending broth, she designed a phased 'gut retraining' protocol using specific Turkish comfort foods in precise sequences: first salted yogurt whey, then strained lentil soup with mint, progressing to finely ground bulgur. She explained the 'why' behind each step—how mint aids bile flow, how bulgur's fiber type helps digestion restart. Her emergency nutritional intervention prevented complications and got me home two days earlier than projected.
As a competitive marathon runner with inexplicable performance decline and gastrointestinal distress during races, I saw Dr. Aras for what I thought would be a simple nutrition tweak. She discovered through specialized testing that I had developed multiple food intolerances and a microbiome imbalance from years of high-carb sports nutrition products. Her solution wasn't a standard athlete's diet but a personalized 'fueling map' that varied by training phase, incorporating fermented Turkish foods like tarhana and boza for gut health. She even coordinated with my coach on race-day nutrition strategies. My marathon time improved by 12 minutes, and my recovery is now remarkably faster. She approaches sports nutrition as precision engineering.
As an 82-year-old with chronic kidney issues, I needed a very specific renal artery Doppler ultrasound. Most radiologists rush through it, but Dr. Özdil was different. She spent nearly an hour with me, explaining each swooshing sound on the speaker, showing me the color flow maps on her monitor, and adjusting her technique based on my breathing. She discovered a subtle stenosis others had missed for years. Her report was so detailed my nephrologist called it 'a masterpiece of diagnostic clarity.' She treated me not as a scan, but as a whole person.
Our 6-year-old daughter fractured her elbow in a playground fall. At midnight in Acibadem Atakent's ER, she was terrified of the 'big camera.' Dr. Özdil didn't just perform the X-ray; she performed magic. She showed my daughter a cartoon about 'bone pictures,' let her press a button on the machine, and spoke to her about her favorite cartoon characters throughout. The images were perfectly positioned despite the tears. We got a diagnosis immediately, and our daughter left asking when she could visit the 'picture doctor' again. This transformed a traumatic event into a bearable one.
I'm a 45-year-old software engineer with a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm. My routine screening MRI with Dr. Özdil was anything but routine. She noticed an anomalous vessel branching pattern near my celiac axis—an incidental finding unrelated to my screening purpose. Instead of just noting it, she pulled up a 3D reconstruction on her workstation, drew me a simple diagram on paper, and explained why it mattered for future surgical planning. She then personally called my GP to discuss it. This wasn't a checkup; it was a masterclass in proactive, preventative care. I feel medically mapped.
Dr. dr Mustafa Sungur provided exceptional care for my orthopedics condition. The treatment was personalized and effective.