Concerned about blood results.

[AlltheJays23]

Is there anyone who can help me decipher my blood tests results? Alot of them are satisfactory. What does that even mean?? I thought they were either normal or abnormal? I'm convinced my doctor's are missing something somewhere.

To file the blood results, your GP has to tick boxes on the computer.

From memory these go something like normal, satisfactory, abnormal, abnormal but expected - I think there are a few other categories.

Obviously no-one ever tells you the difference between 'satisfactory' and 'normal' so it's very possible one GP would file a result in one box and another in another box.

Have you got the actual results? And is there a particular thing you are concerned the GP is missing?

“Satisfactory” means either “very slightly out of range but in a way that’s not really concerning” or “only just in range but might still be causing concerns”. For example, just about in range iron levels might still make someone feel pretty ill, while slightly abnormal inflammation levels are probably just a slight infection/cold and so probably nothing serious. That’s a very rough and ready explanation and there can a be a bit more nuance to it! What exactly are you worried that they’re missing?

Well I had blood tests for my thyroid, RA Factor and bone profile. M bone profile was abnormal but no further action required, my thyroid was satisfactory and the RA. Factor was satisfactory, the CCP antibodies was negative. Which is fine. But I just feel like I've got all these symptoms and if the bloods are satisfactory I doesn't necessarily mean there nothing wrong. For instantce the thyroid test was about 0.5 off of of the low range reference limit.

Just a note that 'Normal' means within the normal distribution for the population. It does not mean optimal.

If you're part of a population who aren't particularly healthy, 'normal' may not be good enough.

Did they do a FBC and/or ESR/CRP? In general, inflammatory conditions like RA will also show high inflammation levels. The thyroid test should be redone after 6 weeks -but that should happen with satisfactory bloods anyway.

Yes they did all of this which were all fine. I had a.cortisol blood tests which came back abnormal as too low and they've refered for me on for that but I was just concerned