1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Rheumatoid Arthritis

Blood tests

Posted , 8 users are following.

Trishaafc
Trishaafc

Hi all,

Went for blood tests Wednesday including rf factor,( last blood test I had was 2yrs ago and doc said that test was negative).

Am I within my rights when I call for my recent results to ask what the number rf factor is??

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Emily1234
    Emily1234 Trishaafc

    Posted

    Do you mean what your RF factor level is? Of course you are....anything below 15 I think is negative.....CCP blood test is much more accurate though, anything below 18 I think is negative for that. Good luck.
  • lynne_30818
    lynne_30818 Trishaafc

    Posted

    Hi. I have bold tests every 2 weeks, when I receive the blood test request forms I also receive the blood test results. You are within your rights to request this.
    • lynne_30818
      lynne_30818

      Posted

      Sorry, it should read blood test not bold.
  • Guest
    Guest Trishaafc

    Posted

    You have a right to request to see all your medical notes and that includes test results.

    However, the receptionist or whoever is on the other end of the line is not allowed to give the results to you. Their job is to tell you what instructions have been given by the doctor who ordered the test.

  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 Trishaafc

    Posted

    I am sero negative for Rheumo, I assume that means my RF is very low. But that doens't mean I don't have arthritis I do, there apparently is about 100 differnet kinds of arthiritis.

    The specialist measures my progess with ESR erythrosite sedimentation rate, and CRP, C-reactive Protein.

    Normal ESR is 0-22 to men and 0-29 for women, mine has been as high as 77, and normal for me is somewhere in the 40's, rarely gets below 35.

    Normal CRP is about 5mg/L, again mine has been up the the 30's, low result has been in the high teens, specialist very pleased I got down to that level. 

    Have had another blood test recently and I know my ESR and CRP will be very high again, have been under immense stress with my husbands heart issue and his admittance to hospital, hasn't helped me at all with that stress.

    She also discusses with me where my ESR and CRP levels are and makes suggestions, as I do to her about what may help or not.

  • martin_F
    martin_F Trishaafc

    Posted

    You can have RA with or without RA Factor.
    • Trishaafc
      Trishaafc martin_F

      Posted

      Yes I know thankyou, my enquiry was more can I press my doctor to give me more information regarding my results as they are never very informative in fact I'm lucky if I get 2 sentences from him during appointments.

    • martin_F
      martin_F Trishaafc

      Posted

      All my blood test results are recorded for me to see in a record book, do you not have one?.
    • martin_F
      martin_F Trishaafc

      Posted

      Are you any medication for your RA? blood test are done far more frequent, usually every 3 months or so because of the side effects of the medication, I am on Sulfasalazine and was on Methotrexate for 1 wk but had to come of it due to side effects.
    • martin_F
      martin_F Trishaafc

      Posted

      I thought Sulfasalazine required blood tests every 3 months, I do, and get all my results recorded in my blood book, are you in the UK?.
  • timothy11402
    timothy11402 Trishaafc

    Posted

    Absolutely! It is YOUR data. And you are entitled to a hard copy of any blood tests you have. If your practice has a "patient portal" you should get on it. From there you can see every page of your records.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.