Pitch photog earns profile in KC Star Mag

We’ve known for a long time that frequent Pitch photographer Scott Sychalski is among the city’s great talents — just look at this sample of his concert shots from 2009. Yesterday, The Kansas City Star said the same thing in the Star Magazine‘s cover profile.

What many of us didn’t know is how much pain Spychalski goes through to capture these great images. Ten years ago, Spychalski was diagnosed with incurable Tietze’s syndrome, in which the cartilage around the ribs becomes inflamed or swollen. In Spychalski’s case, he feels “as if a 10-pound weight” is pressing on his chest.

Ten years and 14,000 pain pills later (“I added it up,” he says), the pain has only gotten worse. One-hundred-twenty Darvocet pills a month is his ration of relief.

On a scale of 10, Spychalski says, the pain ranges from 7 to 12. On

days when it hits 10, he swallows an extra pill, knowing it means he’ll

have to forgo medication on a day when it’s merely a 7.

He has tried alternative therapies, including acupuncture, herbs and nutrition. Nothing helps.

“It feels like there’s a tiny crowbar under each rib pulling it out a little bit,” he says.