Date Posted: October 1, 2024 at 10:25 UTC
Last Update: January 13, 2025 at 09:07 UTC
My name is Mark Mooney, I am 69, and I am from the USA. I was scheduled for hip replacement surgery in the United States, but they told me it would be four or five months before I could get it done. I thought, well, I cannot wait that long—I am in tremendous pain.
I enjoy hiking and being outdoors in nature, but that has been closed off to me for the last five years. The final straw was when I could no longer walk to the grocery store without pain. That was the moment I realized I could not go on like this. My pain began about 10 years ago, slowly, almost imperceptibly. I remember hiking and feeling pain, but I was not sure where it was coming from. It took me years to figure out that the issue was not my lower back, but my hip. Things just got worse, and over the last three years, the pain became unbearable.
Mark Mooney from the USA - Hip Replacement Surgery
Patient Review: Life-Changing Experience at Turan & Turan
in Turkey (2023)
I first saw a doctor in 2016 or 2017. They took pictures of my lower back, the lumbar facets, and said it was just mild arthritis. I could not believe that the real problem was missed for all those years! I probably could have had this surgery four years ago before the pain became unbearable.
I started looking on the internet for options and searched far and wide. I considered South America, Northern Europe, and Southeast Asia, but I eventually decided on this clinic because I had been to Turkey before. I had done balloon rides, swam in the Mediterranean in Antalya, and always wanted to come back. Turkey is accessible, and the clinic had credibility. Istanbul is easy to reach from the United States—my flight from Seattle to Istanbul was only 11 and a half hours, and there was a ride waiting for me at the airport. In just about two hours, I was in Bursa. You cannot beat how easy it was to get here.
Biking and hiking are two things I used to do, and if I can do them again after this surgery, I will consider myself very lucky.
After surgery
The experience was very positive. I went into the surgery room nervous and anxious, but everyone around me was warm and polite. They spoke English, which helped calm me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up from anesthesia, and someone said, “It’s all over.” Those were the sweetest words I had ever heard. Right after surgery, physical therapy started immediately. I was fitted with a mechanical boot that moved my leg up and down to aid the recovery process. It gave me hope that I would get better day by day.
The next day, I took a few steps with a walker, and it was incredibly exhilarating to walk without pain.
I really want to see the snow in the mountains outside my window, and I have heard that you need to take a “teleferik” to get there.
Day 12, after surgery
This has been the most exciting way to end my stay in Bursa. I went to the top of Mount Uludağ on the teleferik, in blizzard conditions. It was very cold, but a wonderful way to end my trip. Bursa will always have a special place in my heart because this is where I came for a life-changing surgery that will make the rest of my life wonderful.
Everything about the experience—from the surgery tothe nursing team, the clinic accommodations, and the follow-up at the hotel—has exceeded my expectations. I would come here again if I could! :)