@pag78 I am sorry that you are getting news that may mean you will need a revision. I also have a loose femoral stem, and the cup may also be loose. No surgeon has stated definitively why, but I have heard that the stem in my case is not long enough, and Josephine indicated to me that sometimes the stem loosens because the femur is not cleaned out well enough. (If you look at my thread you will see this conversation, and it may be of some small help to you.) The implant never felt right from Day One, but I thought it was me. I recovered very well, I was walking without crutches etc. fairly quickly, so I couldn't fathom that something was going wrong. Even with all the pain, I was still in shock when I heard that I need a revision, and was very unhappy.
However enough issues had come up and I knew that I have to get it taken care of--there is nothing that can be done without surgery. Over time, and talking with surgeons, it became crystal clear, and I stopped feeling angry because that is no way to enter surgery again. (I suspect that I may have been within the standard of care anyway, and just fell into the 2-4% of people whose implants were not successful.) I am scheduled for revision surgery on July 3rd, and spend much of my time with my leg extended out flat because walking hurts, working out at the gym hurts, sitting sometimes hurts. The most comfortable position is just flat out straight. You will see from my thread also that I interviewed 3
revision surgeons and would not even consider dealing with my original surgeon again. If you need a revision as Josephine suggests (and she is usually correct), you will no doubt get advice from folks on Bonesmart to find different surgeons who specialize in revisions and to get away from your original surgeon. The original surgeon may be inclined to continue to gloss over your issue and radiologists are fallible, especially if not experienced in reading x-rays. (In my case the surgeon was honest about the loosening, and said that my bone had not grown fulsomely enough around the implant.)
I know all of this is very upsetting, but there is good (or bad) reason for your thigh pain. I can only hope that you get some answers and are able to adapt to your situation if necessary, because being in constant pain is no way to live either. You might want to see the thread also from
@zinnia -- she has been wonderful to me and to others, and has undergone several revisions due to some rare complications, BUT is doing very well now, so she gives me hope. Bonesmart is a great site, you did well to come on it and ask your questions, even though the answer right now seems to be very hard to accept. Also if you want to ask me any questions, please feel free to do so.