Mystery Diagnosis:  My Journey with Slipping Rib Syndrome 

By: Kayla Vinson

During my third pregnancy, my body began to betray me. Pain around my ribs snuck in like a thief in the night, stayed like an unwelcome squatter, and stole everything that once allowed me to live a normal life. What began as an easy pregnancy became a nightmare. Soon I was bed-ridden; unable to accomplish the simplest of tasks without pain. 

I desperately sought answers to what was happening to me. Unfortunately, the doctors I saw were just as stumped as me. 

It’s hard to describe what it felt like, but I did my best to do so. “It feels like my ribs are breaking. Like there’s a rope of nerves fraying, threatening to snap. Everything feels like it’s on fire. Like my ribs are ‘catching’ on each other.” Every test that was run came back normal. Problem was, I knew my body and I knew that something was wrong. 

Ultimately, I was told it was likely just pregnancy pain.  I’d get relief once I delivered my son. While I didn’t believe it was that (he was my third pregnancy and I knew this was unlike any other discomforts I’d had with my previous pregnancies), I bided my time until he arrived and hoped for the best. I know now, 17 months after his birth, that was wishful thinking. 

The pain grew in intensity. The smallest tasks like brushing my hair, sitting at my sewing machine, and holding my son became agony. I could no longer drive comfortably. I felt my independence slipping away. 

One night, I stayed up and searched for my symptoms online. I was not giving up without answers. I stumbled upon the term “Slipping Rib Syndrome,” and it was a lightbulb moment for me. Tears of relief and fear of the unknown mingled together and fell down my face as I told my husband “this is what I have.” Research indicated a Dr. Hansen in West Virginia was the leading expert in diagnosing and treating patients with Slipping Rib, so the very next morning I called and booked an appointment. 

In February of this year, I finally got my answer. I was diagnosed with Slipping Rib Syndrome, with an estimated total of 6 ribs affected, requiring  two surgeries to fix. 

Because this syndrome is not widely known, and the surgery is fairly new, our insurance has denied coverage. We are expected to pay 100% of the costs up front. This is an injustice, and I pray that Slipping Rib patients have access to better care in the future.

My mission now is to spread awareness, and encourage others as they walk through their own personal pain in life. Perspective changes everything, and as I await my first surgery in August, I choose to look at my current circumstance through a future lens that reminds me one day, all this pain will be in my rearview mirror. One day, I’ll be able to look back on my struggles and say with confidence,  “all the pain had a purpose.” 

**If anyone would like to help with my family’s fundraising efforts or our endeavors to spread awareness concerning Slipping Rib Syndrome (SRS), SRS T-shirts, wristbands, and accessories can be purchased at www.sailawaybows.com, under the Slipping Rib Syndrome Awareness tab. Proceeds from purchases go directly to my surgery costs. Thank you, and God bless.**

–Kayla Gurley Vinson, Special to The Botetourt Bee

Editor’s Note:

Kayla Vinson and her family live in Botetourt County. She has free lanced for The Botetourt Bee. I first met her when she was one of my college interns at The Botetourt View one summer. We have been friends ever since. A Lord Botetourt grad and Liberty U grad, she is also a small business owner. A rare disease or syndrome can be life changing for not only the patient, but their entire family. –Cathy Benson