They Said "He Can't Speak" In Germany, He Sang In Turkey

Tuğra Cihangir Ateş, 5, who is said to be unable to walk or speak in the coming years due to epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis in Germany, found healing at Medipol Mega University Hospital in Turkey. The moments when little Tuğra was discharged running and singing at the end of the 4-year treatment period, in case the German doctors could not walk or speak in the coming years, touched both the family and the doctors.

We Protect the Patient from Unnecessary Medicines and Treatments by Monitoring the Patient for 24 Hours
Yasemin Topçu, Associate Professor from the Pediatric Neurology Department of Medipol Mega University Hospital, who planned the treatment of the patient, said;

“From the age of 9 months, Tuğra had epileptic seizures, which were defined as epilepsy, with convulsions, tremors and changes in consciousness. First, we followed our patient with 24-hour video EEG monitoring, which is not very common in medical centers in Turkey. This is our advantage as the neurology department. With long EEG scan, we have the chance to find the epileptic foci of the patient. We can also distinguish between true epileptic seizures and pseudo seizures mixed with epileptic seizures.  Unfortunately, short scans are not helpful in making a decision on this issue. With these long EEG shots, we protect children from unnecessary treatment and drug intake. Thus, it enables us to take positive steps in the course of the disease earlier. This disease can also cause lesions in the brain. People diagnosed with epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis may be suitable for surgical intervention when necessary. We first evaluated the lesions in our patient and tried to find the foci that could be intervened, and evaluated the possibility of surgery in the epilepsy council. In the end we just opted for a medication change. In this way, we can completely control the seizures by giving the right drugs to the appropriate epileptic seizures at the appropriate age.”

White and Brown Spots on the Skin are a Sign of Disease
Informing that there were positive developments even in Tuğra's first medication change, Topçu said, “Tuğra could not pronounce words properly, he had autism-like findings including social and behavioral problems. We have made very positive progress in the treatment process by supporting our patients with social and individual education as well as medication.” 
If diseases such as tuberous sclerosis, which progresses with many white spots on the skin, developmental problems and other neurological findings, are accompanied by resistant seizures in the follow-up, mental development is hindered in children and attention, memory and learning problems increase.   Early diagnosis and regular follow-up from a single medical center play an important role in this process. Now, all of Tuğra's seizures are over and his development process is progressing well.”

“They Said It Was Late in Diagnosis, We Can't Treat It”
The mother of the patient, Çiğdem Ateş, explained the onset of the disease and her experiences as follows;

“When Tugra was 3 months old, he suddenly started contracting herself. We've seen white spots on his body before. There were seizures, constant crying and convulsions. When we went to the doctor in Germany, they said there was no problem and sent us back. They said everything was fine, there was no problem. However, the crying and contractions of the child continued. Then we went to more comprehensive clinics. They said that he had a benign tumor in his brain and they diagnosed him with epilepsy. However, they stated that they did not know where to start the treatment. When we visited Medipol Mega, about a week after seeing the doctor, epileptic seizures stopped without any surgery. After the epileptic seizure he last had in September 2020, he did not have any more attacks.”

“My Child Didn't Know Me”
Ateş stated that her child did not recognize her at the age of 4 months when the seizures were first observed, and stated as follows;
“With the seizures, he began to become dull, his attitude towards us changed, he began not to react, not to recognize, not to laugh. After his treatment started, he started to crawl, laugh, talk, and get to know his parents. My child found healing in Turkey”