I've previously had bypass surgery and I have two stents. Recently my chest pain and shortness of breath had been getting worse, especially when walking. I had to stop and rest after walking just 200-300 metres. Since starting EECP treatment, my symptoms have gradually eased. I can now walk much longer distances, and climbing stairs is no longer as difficult as it used to be. I'm grateful to Prof. Dr. Osman Beton and the EECP Cyprus team.
I've had diabetes for 10 years and have also been treated for heart disease for a long time. Over the past year I was getting tired very quickly, even needing breaks while doing housework. In the first days of EECP treatment I didn't notice much change, but as the sessions went on my shortness of breath eased. Now I manage my daily tasks more comfortably, and I don't tire as quickly when walking as I used to.
I have a history of bypass surgery and stents. Even though I take my medication regularly, I had recently started feeling tightness in my chest when walking. Because of this I had cut down on walking a great deal. After EECP treatment my walking distance increased, and I started experiencing that chest tightness far less often. I can feel the difference in my everyday life.
My biggest complaints were fatigue and shortness of breath. Climbing stairs and standing for long periods in particular used to exhaust me. After my EECP sessions I first noticed that my fatigue had decreased. Now I climb stairs more comfortably, and when I'm out I no longer feel the need to sit down and rest as often as before.
Because of my heart condition I struggled especially with walking quickly and climbing stairs. Since I'm relatively young, this was particularly frustrating for me. After EECP I felt a noticeable improvement in my exercise capacity. I've started walking regularly again, and I feel more energetic than before.
I have previously had stents and was still experiencing chest discomfort when walking, especially at a faster pace. After starting EECP in Cyprus, I gradually noticed that I could walk further before needing to stop. By the end of the treatment my daily walks were much more comfortable. I still take my medication and have regular check-ups, but I definitely feel the difference in my everyday life.
I was struggling with tiredness and shortness of breath during normal daily activities. Even walking longer distances could be difficult. I didn't notice a big change immediately after starting EECP, but it became more noticeable as the sessions continued. I can now walk for longer and I don't feel exhausted as quickly as before. For me, that has made everyday life much easier.
I've had heart disease for about 14 years. My first stent was fitted in 2012, and four years later I had a second procedure because of renewed narrowing. For a while I was doing quite well and continued working and living my normal life. Over the last 2-3 years, though, chest pressure and shortness of breath returned, especially when walking.
Last year my condition worsened further. Even walking for 10 minutes when I left the house had become a struggle. When I went to the market in Nicosia I would walk a few hundred metres and then have to sit down somewhere. Sometimes, fearing the tightness in my chest would start, I would choose to take the car before I'd even left the house.
We learned about EECP while my family was researching options. When I met with Prof. Dr. Osman Beton, my previous test results and past procedures were reviewed and I was given detailed information about EECP. Honestly, I didn't have very high expectations when I started, because I've been living with heart disease for years.
I can't say I noticed anything very obvious in the first few weeks. But as the sessions went on, I began to notice that I was getting tired later when walking. I started passing, without stopping, spots where I used to always have to sit down. I understood this even more clearly once the treatment was finished.
Today I still take my medication and keep up with my check-ups. I'm not saying my heart disease is gone. 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'd be able to walk before heading out.
I've had diabetes for about 11 years. My first serious heart problem was 7 years ago. I had severe chest pain, and after tests were done a stent was fitted because of narrowing in my arteries. In the years that followed I took my medication regularly and didn't have any major problems for a long time.
About two years ago I started getting tired quickly again. At first I thought it was just my age. But over time even ordinary tasks at home became difficult. After hanging out the washing and climbing the stairs I would have to sit down and rest. When I went to the market, where I used to get everything done in one trip, I would often have to leave things unfinished and go home.
What bothered me most was being out of breath. Over time you get used to it, and without realising it you start shrinking your life around it.
When I first heard about EECP treatment in Guzelyurt, I looked into what it actually was. In the first days after starting treatment, I honestly kept wondering 'will this actually make a difference for me?' The change wasn't sudden — I noticed it gradually, over the weeks.
One day I went upstairs at home, did a few things, and came back down. It only occurred to me afterwards that I hadn't sat down to rest at the top of the stairs. That was the first moment I noticed the effect of the treatment.
After completing the sessions I started managing 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 keep taking my medication. But the difference in my everyday life really matters to me.
I had a heart attack in 2009. At the time, stents were fitted in two of my arteries. About 5 years later, when my symptoms returned, I had bypass surgery. After the surgery I was quite comfortable for many years. I continued working, travelling and going for walks.
In the last two years things started to change. At first I would get a burning feeling in my chest on slopes. It would pass if I stopped for a moment. Later it started happening on flat ground too. Eventually there were times when I had to slow down or stop even after walking just 200-300 metres.
When you've had heart surgery and start experiencing the same symptoms again, you inevitably get frightened. I cut down on walking too. 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 assessed along with my past angiogram and surgery records. I hadn't heard of EECP treatment before. I started once I learned how it was carried out.
I didn't feel a big change in the first 8-10 sessions. Later I started noticing a difference, especially on my morning walks. I would reach the point where the discomfort in my chest normally began, but I kept walking without anything happening.
Towards the end of the treatment my walking distance increased noticeably. For me, that was the most important thing. I'm still not pushing myself, I keep up with my doctor's check-ups and take my medication. But when I go out with my grandchildren I no longer constantly tell them to '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 felt a very strong pressure in my chest. Tests found significant narrowing in one of my arteries 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 end up 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. Honestly, I didn't believe it at first, because when you have heart disease, hundreds of different things come up online. That's why I wanted to go in person and get information directly.
After treatment began, the first change was in my fatigue. I started feeling a bit more refreshed in the mornings. Then my walking distance increased. In the final weeks of treatment, one day I did a long shopping trip in Famagusta, and when I got back to the car I realised I didn't feel as exhausted as I used to.
I can't say 'everything is gone'. I never expected that anyway. But there's a real difference in my day-to-day life between how I was before treatment and how I am now.
I've been living in London since the late 1980s. My heart condition began in my fifties. I had a stent fitted first, and a few years later I needed a second one. Then in 2018 I had bypass surgery.
After the bypass I felt very well. In London I got everywhere by public transport and walked a lot. But over the last few years the pressure in my chest returned while walking. Climbing stairs in tube stations in particular had become a real problem for me. If the escalator was out of order I would even look for another way out.
I heard about EECP during a visit to Cyprus to see my family. I went to meet Prof. Dr. Osman Beton, bringing my old medical reports with me. After discussing my condition and learning how the treatment worked, I started the sessions.
In the first days it took me a while to get used to the cuffs squeezing. After that it became a normal routine for me. In the second half of the treatment I started to feel a difference in my walking.
The real test came when I returned to London. At Heathrow you have to walk quite a long way after getting off the plane. On a route where I would normally have to slow down several times, that day I got through it much more comfortably. Then I noticed the same thing on the Underground.
I don't think my heart disease is gone; I keep up with my check-ups and medication. But there's a noticeable difference I can feel 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 heart problem at 43. Because I was young, I didn't initially connect the discomfort in my chest with my heart at all. I was working intensely and thought it was from stress. Eventually, tests found significant narrowing in one of my coronary arteries and a stent was fitted.
I was doing very well for a while. But about two years later the pressure in my chest returned, especially when walking quickly or climbing stairs.
At 47, seeing everyone around you moving about easily makes it hard to accept. When going somewhere with friends I was always the one who wanted to drive instead of walk. After a while I gave up exercising altogether.
When I started EECP treatment my goal wasn't to run a marathon. I just wanted to be able to go about my daily life like anyone else my age.
I didn't feel much change in the first few weeks. As the sessions went on, the difference showed up especially on stairs. Where I used to stop to catch my breath on reaching the second floor, I stopped needing to do that.
After that I started walking again — 15 minutes at first, 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 bit different. Because I'm 42, nobody looking at me from the outside thought I could have a heart problem. For a long time I put the fatigue I was experiencing down to my hectic work schedule.
There came a point where, even after parking the car in Kyrenia and walking up a short slope, I had to stop to catch my breath. Honestly, when you're young you don't want to admit that to yourself. When walking with friends there were times I would stop talking and slow down so it wouldn't show.
After a cardiology assessment I began to be monitored. EECP came up during that process. Before starting treatment, I was given a detailed explanation of what it involved and what to expect.
I first felt the difference in everyday life. One morning I left the car at home and walked to get a coffee. When I got home I suddenly realised I hadn't stopped once along the way.
That was the most valuable part of the treatment for me. I started to feel a bit more like myself, more in line with 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.