My Knee Is Clicking So Loud It’s Practically A Guest

My knee is at the point where I can’t ignore it anymore, and saying that out loud is hard. We share a real life update about worsening knee pain, instability, and the possibility that the next step is a knee replacement. I describe what it feels like when your knee clicks, pops, and won’t “find itself,” even after prior reconstruction surgery and implanted hardware, and why that daily struggle can turn simple things like sitting down into a constant negotiation with your body. 

We also get practical about cerebral palsy and orthopedics: why X-rays and MRIs don’t always show the full story when hardware is in the way, how to think about second opinions, and what it can take to find a doctor who understands CP biomechanics. I talk about what we tried, including Botox for spasticity and a toe contracture, why it didn’t work, and why surgery may be the only real fix for the toe. We also share the very real wildcard that nobody warns you about enough: insurance approval and how it can dictate the order of toe surgery versus knee surgery. 

There are bright spots too. I’m finally getting in and out of caregiver vehicles with help, we’ve got a long-awaited friend visit coming up, and we’re staying busy and stable even while hiding from the Arizona heat. Daniel checks in, we touch on the “who is Matt?” question without forcing the story before it’s ready, and we celebrate Danielle’s work bringing bubbles to kids. If you’re navigating chronic pain, disability, or major surgery decisions, listen along, then subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more people find us.

Transcript

A Hard Life Update

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Askwin, everyone. Today is a life update from Daniel and I both majority me because um I need to tell you guys something, but I don't know how to tell you guys something because I still can't figure it out myself. The bad the bad news is I need let me start it this way.

Facing A Possible Knee Replacement

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Potentially I need a knee replacement because I will my knee is not dragging it. Should be I've already been to one doctor about it. He said go back to the original surgeon who did my knee surgery. I don't know if you guys remember. I had knee surgery to rebuild my knee. But now my knee we believe is dislocating itself within the knee, but we don't know that. Doctors don't know that. And so if the Overturnal Doctor Dr. W Lily, his famous Dr. W in my book. So if Dr. W doesn't feel like a knee replacement is necessary, um I will go find a different doctor to do what I think should be done because take the hardware out and look look at the knee and then take the knee out and do a hip, do a knee replacement, because my knee is clicking and popping and driving me nuts. And it takes me five seconds to sit down because my knee is often spacely and I can't find it can't find itself. I can't find it. And so it's pretty much gone and I can't I can't deal with it anymore. So I will keep you guys updated about my knee because yeah this knee is toast and it's my hip replacement leg too. So I'm like great. My hip my hip is gone. My knee will soon be gone. Great. And when it comes to my toe, after my knee surgery, whoever does my knee surgery, I will do my toe. So they have to break my toe and break my foot and realign my toe. So that's the update on me, but I haven't really talked about me because um talking out the name makes me really, really, really, really sad. Because as you guys know, I already had one surgery on it. And as you as we all know, surgeries and me don't get along, especially at Dr. W's hospital, the hospital he works out of. And so if Dr. W can't do a knee replacement, I will find someone else who can who knows about CP just a little bit, or I will teach them about CP because yeah, this needs gone, the hardware needs to come out, and because it's crunching and popping and clicking and not finding itself and it's driving me nuts. I have a knee place for it, but knee place is not working unfortunately. So I will keep it you guys up to date on my

Small Wins With Caregiver Cars

SPEAKER_01 5:07

knee. The good new the good news is I'm now hopping in and out of caregivers vehicles, which is huge, you guys. And when I say hopping out, in and out of caregivers vehicles, I can actually get in and out of caregivers vehicles with help. Now, again, once I get my knee fixed, I would pretty much be able to do it on my own. But I yeah, so that's huge. And another huge episode.

Radio Silence For A Friend Visit

SPEAKER_01 5:50

I will be in radio silence moan starting on Wednesday through Saturday because I have a dear friend coming out to see me. No, it's not Daniel. I wish it was Daniel, but I haven't seen this person in three years, so radio silenced Shelby. And I am so so so so excited. And so that's the update on me. The only body part that's really driving me nuts right now is my knee, and unfortunately there's nothing I could do about it because it's a CP knee, and it just needs to be gone, and it just needs a man-made knee, and I need to work with a man-made knee, and just like I need to work with my man-made hip, which is doing amazing, by the way. I can't even feel my hip, which is a good thing. I can't even feel my hip, which is a good thing. So I know my hip is working, but I can't even feel it. It's amazing, so I need my knee to feel amazing.

Botox Did Not Help The Toe

SPEAKER_01 7:32

So if you guys could send all the positive vibes and plans and doo-doo, that my knee could get better. Yes, I had Botox in my knee. Yes, I had Botox in my foot to try and release the contracture of my toe. That did not work at all. And I'm gonna tell the doctor straight up, it did not work at all. And so never again. So, yes, I need surgery even the doctor said Botox won't release this contractor. Your toe is too full gone. So if I if I can get a knee replacement, great. Fabulous. I will do my toe first and then my knee because my toe needs to be put back in place, or I may do my knee first, depending on what insurance says it's a game of insurance. So I will keep you guys up to date, but probably my toe first, and then my knee. So we'll keep you guys up to date on that. But probably the easiest thing is gonna be doing my knee first, and then my then my toe, but we'll keep you guys up to dated on that. So that's the update on me.

Daniel’s Update And The Matt Question

SPEAKER_01 9:19

And Danielle, do you have an update? You guys are wondering who Matt is. Daniel, do you wanna explain who this person Matt is? We'll leave it at that. Until Daniel's ready to truly explain who Matt is. We'll just leave Matt out of picture for the moment. Because it's really c it's really beautiful what Matt is to Daniel, but until d I almost said it's really cute, but no, I'll use big gold terms. It's really beautiful what Matt is to Daniel. And so until then the O's ready, I'll leave it at that. And I won't pressure Daniel anymore because yeah. BFF pressure and BFF is not good to you guys. So, um, Daniel is really and for those of you that don't know, if you don't follow Daniel on Facebook or Danielle everywhere else, probably on Instagram or Daniel on the website.

Bubble Fairy Work And Busy Life

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Danielle is the most beautiful bubble fairy I have ever seen in my life. And Danielle and all that. So Danielle works for kid kids in the productions and she does bubbles for the kids in the summer and all kids of all of all ages and some adults. And when I go back to Aspen, I need to see Danny doll at work because I haven't yet to seen see Danny at work, so that's my mission. But when I go back to Aspen, I will. And so that's the update on us, you guys. And please remember to like and share this episode and subscribe. And so that's the update on us. And we're doing stable. We're stable, we're just busy. I'm busy dealing with my house and house guests and everything else. Daniel's busy living life. I'm busy living life, but we I'm still doing this podcast, and yes, I'm still interviewing people. And so we're just busy living life, and by the way, if you know Arizona, if you know Phoenix, Arizona, you know it's incredibly hot. Like 108 or something, 120. Thank you very much. So I'm hiding in the AC, so you won't see me gallivanting into winter. I into winter. I'm hibernating. I'm not I'm hibernating in the AC. So there we go. I'm hibernating in the AC. For those who've been to Arizona, you know what I'm talking about in the summer. And I'm surprised my friend is coming out in the summer because it's hot and she knows it. And so, yeah. So there's the update on me. My knee is driving me nuts. So if you it's Sunday, August 2nd, that's the way we call it this. If you guys would send all the good vibes and positive notes to my right knee that I can't bend anymore because it hurts. And yeah, so that's the update on me. And I will let you guys know what they say.

Imaging Limits And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Oh, by the way, the X-rays and the MIs don't tell doctors anything about todd ligaments or what's going on with my knee. Because all they can see is a stupid plate that's in my knee to hold my knee in position of not popping out of plates. So we'll find out more on Wednesday. I will let you guys know in the next episode, or I may let you know on Facebook. So please like and share this episode, and we'll catch you guys later. Bye you guys. Oh, what the cute pony said. Thank you. Thank you for following us. Bye you guys.