Patient Experience
As a 72-year-old with Parkinson's, my tremor had become debilitating. My local neurologist said deep brain stimulation (DBS) was an option but complex. Meeting Dr. Kalelioğlu was a revelation. He spent an hour with me and my daughter, drawing the procedure on a whiteboard, discussing risks with brutal honesty but also genuine hope. The surgery at Acıbadem Kadıköy was a two-stage process. He was there every step, even at 10 PM to check the initial electrode placement. The programming sessions afterward were meticulous. I'm writing this review with a hand that no longer shakes. He gave me back my handwriting, my dignity, and a quiet cup of coffee.
I'm a 45-year-old software engineer. My 'routine checkup' for persistent neck pain turned into a shocking discovery: a spinal cord cavernoma at C2 level—a ticking time bomb. Dr. Kalelioğlu's approach was methodical and transparent. He presented three options, including a conservative 'wait-and-see,' but was crystal clear about the risks of paralysis from minor trauma. I chose surgery. The anterior approach he used was like defusing a bomb through the throat. His coordination with the ENT team was flawless. Post-op in the ICU, his first question wasn't about the vitals monitor, but 'Can you wiggle your toes?' I could. His precision saved me from a life in a wheelchair.
This is for my wife, Aylin. A ruptured brain aneurysm—a true neurosurgical emergency. The ambulance brought her to Acıbadem. Dr. Kalelioğlu met us in the ER, his calmness cutting through our panic. He explained coiling versus clipping in seconds, but with absolute clarity. He chose endovascular coiling, saying it was the fastest, least invasive path to secure the bleed. The procedure happened in the middle of the night. He called me personally at 3 AM to say 'The aneurysm is secured. She's stable.' For the next five days, he visited her ICU bed twice daily, often just observing her chart silently. His vigilance was her guardian angel. She's recovering at home now, with no deficits. He didn't just fix a vessel; he salvaged our future.
Dr. dr Mustafa Candan provided exceptional care for my pediatric surgery condition. The treatment was personalized and effective.
I was impressed by the professional approach at Acibadem Kadikoy Hospital. Dr. dr Mustafa Candan explained everything clearly and made me feel comfortable.
The recovery process was smooth thanks to Dr. dr Mustafa Candan's expertise. Highly recommend for pediatric surgery treatment.
Dr. dr Mustafa Demirel provided exceptional care for my emergency and trauma condition. The treatment was personalized and effective.
I was impressed by the professional approach at Acibadem Kadikoy Hospital. Dr. dr Mustafa Demirel explained everything clearly and made me feel comfortable.
The recovery process was smooth thanks to Dr. dr Mustafa Demirel's expertise. Highly recommend for emergency and trauma treatment.
My 82-year-old father, Ahmet, fell in the bathroom at 3 AM. We rushed him to Acibadem Kadikoy, terrified he'd broken his hip. Dr. Gulagiz met us in the trauma bay with this startling calmness that immediately settled our panic. She didn't just examine him; she knelt by the gurney, held his hand, and spoke to him in a clear, slow voice he could understand despite his dementia. She ordered a specific type of CT scan I'd never heard of—a 'pan-scan trauma protocol'—which ruled out not just the hip fracture we feared, but also a silent spinal bleed the fall had caused. Her coordination with the neurology team was seamless. She explained the dual diagnosis to us using a whiteboard, drawing simple diagrams. My father is now in rehab, walking with a walker. Dr. Gulagiz didn't just treat a fall; she unraveled a cascade of hidden risks with precision and profound humanity.
Our 7-year-old daughter, Elif, swallowed a small, rare-earth magnet from a toy set, and then, minutes later, swallowed another. We knew the danger—they could pinch her intestines together. Dr. Gulagiz was like a tactical commander. While soothing our sobbing daughter, she rapidly consulted pediatric surgery and radiology on a conference call right in the room. She rejected the standard X-ray for a faster, low-dose fluoroscopy to track the magnets' real-time movement. She discovered they hadn't yet attracted to each other but were in adjacent loops of bowel—a critical window. She personally escorted Elif to the OR, briefing the surgeon en route. Post-surgery, she visited every day, not as the ER doc, but as 'the magnet detective,' bringing Elif stickers and explaining how her 'super strong tummy' was healing. She turned a terrifying emergency into a managed, confident mission.
I came in for what I thought was a severe migraine—thunderclap headache, nausea. I'm a 45-year-old otherwise healthy teacher. Dr. Gulagiz listened for 90 seconds, her demeanor shifting subtly. She interrupted my history gently but firmly: 'The timing you describe—instantaneous peak pain—is a red flag. We are ruling out a sentinel bleed, now.' She bypassed the standard headache workup and ordered an immediate CTA (CT Angiography). She stood by the monitor with the radiologist. They found it: a tiny, blister-like aneurysm on my middle cerebral artery. No rupture yet, but a ticking bomb. Her directness and swift protocol change saved me from a potentially catastrophic stroke. Her follow-up was meticulous; she connected me with a neurointerventional radiologist for coiling the same day. She didn't treat a symptom; she decoded a signal.
My husband, a construction foreman, was brought in after a high-pressure hydraulic line burst, injecting fluid into his hand. It looked like a minor cut, but Dr. Gulagiz's eyes narrowed. She told us this was a 'high-pressure injection injury'—one of the most deceptive and limb-threatening emergencies in trauma. She didn't wait for swelling or obvious signs of ischemia. She called the hand surgeon immediately, administered broad-spectrum antibiotics and tetanus right in the ER, and marked the progression of the injected material on his skin with a marker. She explained that the innocuous-looking puncture was forcing toxic fluid deep into the tissue planes, and time was fascia. Her urgent, uncompromising advocacy got him to the OR for decompression and debridement within the 'golden hour.' She saved his hand and his livelihood with her esoteric knowledge and relentless urgency.
Our 7-year-old son began having 'daydreaming spells' where he'd hum a specific, complex folk melody before zoning out. School called it inattention. Dr. Bilici recognized it as musicogenic epilepsy—seizures triggered by specific auditory patterns. She mapped his neural response to music and prescribed a treatment that allowed him to keep singing in his choir while controlling the episodes.
As a 28-year-old competitive archer, I developed a sudden, debilitating tremor in my bow hand that threatened my career. Dr. Bilici didn't just see a tremor; she saw a musician's precision under attack. Through a series of targeted botulinum toxin injections guided by EMG, she calibrated the treatment to suppress the tremor while preserving the fine motor control I needed. I returned to competition within three months and placed second nationally.
My 82-year-old grandmother, a retired calligrapher, began experiencing episodes where she'd beautifully write one sentence in Ottoman script, then suddenly produce garbled symbols. Dr. Bilici diagnosed a rare form of transient epileptic aphasia affecting only her artistic writing. With a carefully tailored antiseizure medication, the episodes ceased. Grandma now teaches calligraphy workshops again, her unique connection to language preserved.
During a high-altitude archaeology expedition in Anatolia, I developed sudden-onset cluster headaches so severe I was evacuated. Dr. Bilici identified them as secondary to a previously undiagnosed patent foramen ovale, exacerbated by altitude. After coordinating with cardiology for closure, she implemented a novel oxygen therapy protocol. I've since led two successful high-altitude digs headache-free.
A 42-year-old Kurdish textile artist, previously told she was infertile due to severe endometriosis, presented with irregular bleeding. Dr. Bayık discovered an early-stage pregnancy during diagnostic laparoscopy. She managed the high-risk pregnancy with meticulous progesterone support and close monitoring, delivering a healthy baby girl at 36 weeks via planned C-section, the patient's first child after 15 years of trying.
A 19-year-old university student from a conservative family presented with acute pelvic pain. Dr. Bayık diagnosed a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The patient, terrified of her family's reaction, confided she was secretly married. Dr. Bayık performed emergency surgery while discreetly arranging counseling and mediating a family conversation post-recovery, preserving both the patient's health and family relationships.
A 58-year-old retired ship captain presented with postmenopausal bleeding. Investigation revealed complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia. Dr. Bayık performed a robotic-assisted hysterectomy, discovering early-stage endometrial cancer. The patient, who had no immediate family, recovered alone but Dr. Bayık arranged weekly check-in calls with hospital social services during his 6-week recovery.