Olympic medalist Chloe Dygert undergoes surgery to treat tachycardia - "One of the most unique kinds of pains I’ve ever felt"

Olympic medalist Chloe Dygert recently underwent a procedure to treat heart arrhythmia. She posted a video of herself after doctors carried out a cardiac ablation to treat supraventricular tachycardia.

In arrhythmia, the heart rate accelerates unnaturally. Generally, SVT does not cause life-threatening complications, but it may result in unconsciousness or cardiac arrest in extreme cases.“My most recent episode happened while I was out on an easy basic endurance ride; my heart rate peaked at 219, then sat at 205 for five minutes and 195 for another 10 minutes,” Dygert said. “It would jump between 180 to 205 in the remainder of the episode lasting 35 minutes.”

Dygert revealed she would occasionally suffer from episodes once or twice a year, but recently, it was happening in short intervals. She feared it could happen between races. “My fear is having one during a race and needing to stop, so we made the decision to go in and get it fixed with the frequency increase,” said Dygert.

Her experience with the procedure has been one of her most painful ones. She is now back on the bike and preparing for the next season. “Definitely one of the most unique kinds of pains I’ve ever felt. In the recovery, I wasn’t allowed to move for four hours, giving the artery time to heal from the catheter ablation. I was back on my bike within five days after the procedure with only one minor hiccup happening on day 5,” concluded Dygert.