It has now been one week since I arrived in Istanbul for my bilateral Eagle Syndrome surgery and internal jugular vein decompression performed by Dr. Kamran Aghayev. It has also been 5 days since the operation itself.
I am happy to say that the surgery went very well. Dr. Kamran Aghayev and his team were highly professional, attentive, and supportive throughout the entire process. The procedure was performed successfully, and I already feel that choosing to undergo surgery was the right decision. Of course, I am still in the early recovery stage, so some postoperative pain and discomfort are still present. I continue taking pain medication, and there is still some throat soreness, swelling, and neck discomfort, which Dr. Aghayev explained is completely normal during the first weeks after surgery.
However, despite the expected postoperative symptoms, I can already notice improvements in several of my Eagle Syndrome symptoms. The constant pressure and tension in my neck have partially improved, and overall I already feel better compared to before surgery. Recovery takes time, and Dr. Aghayev emphasized that healing progresses gradually day by day. For now, I am focusing on rest and proper recovery while remaining optimistic about the final outcome.
I would also like to sincerely thank all the members of this group who shared their experiences and recommended Dr. Kamran Aghayev. Reading your stories and advice truly helped me make this important decision and gave me confidence before surgery. I am also very grateful for Dr. Kamran Aghayev’s professionalism, surgical skill, and care, and I am very satisfied with my choice to have surgery with him. I will share another update in a couple of weeks as recovery continues and symptoms improve further. I wish health to all
That’s great news, so pleased that all has gone well for your surgery, & that you’re seeing some improvements already! I’m glad that you felt confident with Dr Aghayev, and that the site was helpful for you to make that decision… Take care and hope that you continue to see improvements as you heal, look forward to hearing more updates , praying for good results
@GalinaGutak - I agree with all that @Jules said & will also be praying for you to continue to notice reduction of your ES symptoms. How much longer will you be in Turkey? I hope you’ve gotten to do a bit of sightseeing while you are there.
Thank you very much. I’ll be in Istanbul for another 10 days. It’s a holiday now and the city doesn’t seem so crowded. And the weather is wonderful. So I’ll try to enjoy it.
I’m glad you feel well enough to go out & do some walking around. That will also be good for your healing. Nice weather & lack of crowds is also a huge plus!!
Yes, at least little by little with painkillers, I try to walk and breathe fresh air. I hope for a quick recovery. The main thing is that the surgery is behind
I’m excited for you being on the road to recovery. I had consulted with Dr. Aghayev and he was wonderful. I wanted to post a link to his form to request a consult. For someone wanting to talk with an expert quickly, Dr. Aghayev was available to me within days of me reaching out. I did need to get up in the middle of the night for the appointment because of the time zone different but I was glad to do that. He did the appointment through WhatsApp and his assistant set everything up for us. I wish I could remember his name, but he helped me get WhatsApp set up and also helped me get the ct images over to him via a site called wetransfer.com. He also helped me do a wire transfer for the consult fee which was $200. I had a lot of confidence in Dr. Aghayev, I am glad to hear things went so well for you! I went with Dr. Osborne in Los Angeles since I didn’t seem to need decompression (though my jugular was 60% compressed) or c1 shave. Happy healing to you! Keep us posted!
@LisaMaria
Thank you for sending the link for setting up a consult w/ Dr. Aghayev. We’ve had a few members who had some trouble getting in touch with his office!
Thank you so much for your kind message and for sharing your experience. I also truly feel better overall. There are still some difficulties with eating solid food, but I understand this is temporary and part of the recovery process. I can clearly notice gradual improvement, which is very reassuring. I am now looking forward to my follow-up with Dr. Kamran on June 1st.
Yeees the name of assistant coordinator is Bassam. He was extremely helpful throughout the whole process. Actually he supported me with everything, from technical setup to coordination, which made things much easier. For anyone who needs a faster consultation, the most efficient way to reach the doctor is definitely via WhatsApp. If needed, I can also share the contact details privately.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the choice of doctor and honestly impressed with the level of service. Even though the hospital itself was quite standard and not all staff spoke English, everything still worked smoothly thanks to the team’s support.
By the way Dr. Kamran also mentioned that starting this month he will be operating at Acibadem Hospital.
Thank you again for your support . I really appreciate it.
Hey Galina - Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. Sounds awesome that some of the symptoms are already better
I have a consultation with Dr. Kamran soon, looking very much forward to it! So far I’m impressed with the quick responses as well
Do you know what the consequences of this is? Will he be operating at the “old” hospital at the same time, or will the “Acibadem Hospital” replace the other hospital? Do you know if the price stays the same?
Appreciate anything you can share, as I will probably get surgery in July
Also - it seems like you are there by yourself. Is that working out fine? I’m not sure whether I should bring family members. Maybe bringing some help would make one able to fly home earlier, like after a week maybe? Any thoughts on this, or the necessary amount of days you think one should stay after surgery?
@IJVman obviously @GalinaGutak can give you more information, but if you would be able to bring a family member with you to help, that would make your recovery much easier, someone to help sort out luggage, food, getting about & company for walks as it’s good to get up & moving afterwards…
Hello And thank you for wishing me faster recovery​ I am better day by day.
As far as I understand, Acibadem is a top-tier hospital in Istanbul and better than the hospital where I had my surgery. Of course, I was assured that the most important thing is the operating doctor, and this is true. The hospital where I had my surgery (Bashari) is average, but Acibadem is much better, and the doctor said he was striving for that.
Dr. Kamran will most likely only operate there. But I didn’t inquire about the price, to be honest, so I can’t say.
And of course, it’s better if you have someone to accompany you. Even just moral support and help in the first few days means a lot. I’m here with my sister, and she’s been helping me a lot, and it’s easier and more fun being in Istanbul together. Therefore, I advise you to bring a family member with you and wish you the best of luck with the surgery.
The standard hospital stay here is three days, as Bassam (the coordinator) told me. And that’s basically enough. Then you can stay in Istanbul (hotel) like 7-8 days or more if you would like to have a control after this period .
Is the control the reason you are staying longer? Is this a part of the package or an additional “add-on”? Does it involve another CT venogram to check if the IJV has actually gotten bigger? Very interested in everything you have to say, as I will probably make these decisions soon
Keep us posted!