Our Patients' Experiences

I have had heart disease for about 14 years. My first stent was fitted in 2012, and 4 years later I had a second procedure because of renewed narrowing. For a while I was doing quite well, and continued working and my normal life. In the last 2-3 years, chest pressure and shortness of breath started again, especially when walking.

Last year my condition worsened further. Even walking for 10 minutes after leaving the house had become a problem for me. When I went to the market in Lefkoşa, I would walk a few hundred metres and then sit down somewhere. Sometimes, fearing the tightness in my chest would start, I would choose to take the car before even leaving the house.

We learned about EECP while my family was researching options. When we met with Prof. Dr. Osman Beton, my previous test results and the procedures I had undergone were evaluated, and I received detailed information about EECP. Honestly, I didn't have very high expectations at first, because I had been living with heart disease for years.

I can't say I noticed anything very obvious in the first weeks. But as the sessions progressed, I started noticing that I got tired later when walking. I began passing, without stopping, places where I would previously have had to sit down. I understood this more clearly once the treatment was finished.

Today I still take my medication and don't skip my check-ups. I'm not saying my heart disease has disappeared. But my daily life is much more comfortable than before. My wife and I can go for regular walks again. For me, the most important change was no longer having to calculate how far I could walk before going out again.

I have had diabetes for about 11 years. I had my first serious heart problem 7 years ago. I had a severe pain in my chest, and after tests were carried out, a stent was fitted because of narrowing in my vessels. In the following years I took my medication regularly and had no major problems for a long time.

About two years ago I started getting tired quickly again. At first I thought it was due to my age. But over time even ordinary tasks at home became difficult. I would sit down and rest after hanging laundry and climbing the stairs. When I went to the market, whereas I used to do all my shopping in one go, I would now sometimes leave it unfinished and go home.

What bothered me the most was getting out of breath. Over time you get used to it, and without realising it you shrink your life around it.

When I learned about EECP treatment in Güzelyurt, I first researched what it was. Honestly, in the first days after starting treatment I kept wondering, "will there be any change in me?" I noticed the change not all at once, but over the course of several weeks.

One day at home I went upstairs, did a few things, and came back down. Afterwards it occurred to me that I hadn't sat down to rest at the top of the stairs. That was the moment I first noticed the effect of the treatment.

After the sessions were completed I started doing my daily tasks more comfortably. I don't get tired as quickly as before. Of course my diabetes and my heart condition are still there, and I still take my medication. But the difference in my daily life really matters to me.

I had a heart attack in 2009. At that time stents were fitted in two of my vessels. About 5 years later, when my symptoms started again, I had bypass surgery this time. After the surgery I was quite comfortable for many years. I continued working, travelling, and walking.

In the last two years things started to change. At first I would get a burning sensation in my chest on slopes. It would pass after a short rest. Later it started happening on flat ground too. Eventually there were times when I had to slow down or stop even after walking 200-300 metres.

When you start experiencing the same symptoms again after heart surgery, you can't help but be afraid. So I cut down on walking. When I went out with my grandchildren, I couldn't keep up with them.

When we consulted Prof. Dr. Osman Beton, my current condition was evaluated together with my previous angiogram and surgery records. I had never heard of EECP treatment before. I started it after learning how it was applied.

I didn't feel a big change in the first 8-10 sessions. Later I started noticing it especially on my morning walks. Normally I would reach the point where the discomfort in my chest would start, but I kept walking without anything happening.

Towards the end of the treatment my walking distance increased noticeably. That was the most important thing for me. Now I don't push myself too hard, I keep up with my doctor's check-ups and take my medication. But when I go out with my grandchildren, I no longer keep telling them "slow down a bit."

I first learned I had heart disease at 54. Until then I didn't think I had any serious condition. One morning on my way to work I had a very strong pressure in my chest. Following tests, significant narrowing was found in one of my vessels and a stent was fitted.

The first few years I was quite comfortable. Then gradually shortness of breath and fatigue began. Especially over the last year even shopping would tire me out. When I went to a large supermarket I would find myself leaning on the trolley as I walked around. When I got home I would sit doing nothing for at least half an hour.

I came across EECP while researching online. At first, honestly, I didn't believe it, because when you're a heart patient hundreds of different things come up online. So I wanted to go and get information in person.

After starting treatment, the first change was in my fatigue. I started feeling a bit more energetic in the mornings. Then my walking distance increased. In the final weeks of the treatment, one day I did a long shopping trip in Gazimağusa, and when I got back to the car I noticed I didn't feel as exhausted as before.

I can't say "everything is gone." I didn't expect that either. But there is a real difference between how I was before treatment and how I am now, in terms of daily life.

I have lived in London since the late 1980s. My heart condition began in my fifties. First one stent was fitted, and a few years later a second stent was needed. Then in 2018 I had bypass surgery.

After the bypass I felt very well. In London I would take public transport everywhere and walk a lot. But in the last few years, pressure in my chest reappeared while walking. Climbing stairs at underground stations in particular had become a serious problem for me. If an escalator was out of order, I would even look for another exit.

I heard about EECP during a visit to Cyprus to see my family. I went to meet Prof. Dr. Osman Beton. I brought my old reports with me. After discussing my condition and learning how the treatment was carried out, I started the sessions.

In the first days it took me a little time to get used to the tightening of the cuffs. Then it became a normal routine for me. In the second half of the treatment I started to feel the difference in my walking.

The real test came when I returned to London. After getting off the plane at Heathrow you have to walk quite a long way. That day I completed the route I would normally slow down on several times much more comfortably. Then I noticed the same thing on the underground too.

I don't think my heart disease is over; I continue my check-ups and my medication. But there is a clear difference, one I can feel myself, between my daily life before EECP and now.

I had my first heart attack at 54. Until then I'd considered myself reasonably healthy, so it came as quite a shock. I had two stents inserted and for several years afterwards I was doing very well.

Over time, however, the chest discomfort gradually returned. At first it only happened if I walked quickly. Eventually I was getting it during fairly ordinary walks. I work in London and anyone who lives there knows how much walking is involved just getting through stations. I began planning journeys around lifts and escalators.

I first came across EECP while looking into what other options might be available. I eventually travelled to Cyprus and met Professor Osman Beton. We went through my previous cardiac history before discussing EECP.

I didn't notice anything dramatic during the first few sessions. Somewhere around the second or third week, though, I realised I was walking back after treatment without getting the discomfort at the point where I normally expected it.

When I returned to London, the difference became much easier to judge because I was back in my normal routine. The walk through the station that had been giving me trouble was noticeably easier. Over the following weeks I started walking longer distances again.

I still have heart disease. I still take my medication and attend my cardiology appointments. What changed for me was how much the symptoms were controlling my everyday life.

I have lived with diabetes for more than 15 years and was diagnosed with coronary artery disease in my fifties. I initially had stents and later underwent bypass surgery.

For several years after surgery I was quite active. I travelled regularly for business and could manage airports without giving it much thought. During the last two years that changed considerably. Walking through a large airport became exhausting. Sometimes I would stop and pretend to check my phone simply because I didn't want the people travelling with me to realise I needed a rest.

I heard about EECP through a family member while arranging a trip to Cyprus. After having my medical history reviewed, I decided to proceed with the treatment.

For me the improvement was gradual. There wasn't one morning when I woke up feeling completely different. Instead, I began noticing small things. I could walk farther. I wasn't searching for a chair whenever I entered a large building. Stairs became less intimidating.

The clearest comparison came when I travelled home. Airports had been one of my biggest problems before treatment. On my return journey I walked through the terminal and only afterwards realised that I hadn't needed to stop once.

That was probably the moment I understood how much my daily life had changed.

I had my first problem related to my heart at 43. Because I was young, I didn't initially associate the discomfort in my chest with my heart at all. I was working intensely and thought it was due to stress. Eventually, tests revealed significant narrowing in one of my coronary vessels and a stent was fitted.

I was doing very well for a while. But about two years later, pressure in my chest started again, especially when walking quickly or climbing stairs.

At 47, it's hard to accept this when you see everyone around you moving about with ease. Whenever we went somewhere with friends, I was always the one who wanted to take the car instead of walking. After a while I gave up sports altogether.

When I started EECP treatment, my goal wasn't to run a marathon. I just wanted to be able to carry on with my daily life like someone my own age.

I didn't notice much change in the first weeks. As the sessions progressed, the difference showed up especially on stairs. I stopped needing to pause and catch my breath when I reached the second floor, as I used to.

After that I started walking again. First 15 minutes, then half an hour. Now I can walk regularly without pushing myself. For me the biggest gain was no longer being afraid to move again.

My story is a little different. Because I was 42, nobody looking from the outside thought I could have a heart problem. I too, for a long time, put the quick tiredness I was experiencing down to my intense work pace.

There came a point when, in Girne, even after parking the car and walking up a short slope, I would have to stop and wait to catch my breath. Honestly, when you're young you can't quite accept this about yourself. When walking with friends there were times I would stop talking and slow down without letting it show.

After cardiology assessments were carried out, I started being monitored. EECP came up during this process. Before starting the treatment, what would be done and what I should expect were explained to me in detail.

I first felt the difference in my daily life. One morning I left the car at home and walked to get a coffee. When I got back home I suddenly realised: I hadn't stopped once along the way.

That was the most valuable part of the treatment for me. I began to feel a bit more like someone my age again.

I was 37 when I first realised something wasn't right. I had always been active and worked long days, so becoming breathless and unusually tired after fairly normal activity didn't make sense to me.

At first I blamed stress. Eventually I had a full cardiac assessment and that changed the way I looked at what had been happening.

The hardest part wasn't actually the medical appointments. It was being 39 and having to think about things most people my age never consider. If friends suggested going somewhere, my first thought was how much walking would be involved.

I underwent EECP while staying in Cyprus. During the early sessions I kept analysing myself after every treatment, trying to decide whether something had changed. Eventually I stopped doing that.

Several weeks later I spent most of a day out with family. We walked, went shopping and had dinner. When I got back that evening, I suddenly realised I hadn't spent the entire day thinking about how tired I was.

For somebody else that might sound completely ordinary. For me, getting an ordinary day back felt like a very big deal.