<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi, this is Lisa from Baltimore. I posted a week or so ago about the symptoms that my 11 year old daughter is having, and has been having, for about 18 months. (She did not tell us about them right away, as things having to do with digestive disturbance, gas, diarrhea, etc. can be embarrassing ... especially for prepubertal girls!) Anyway, my daughter's IgG test for gliadal antibodies came up 104 ... high enough above normal for our pediatrician to send us to a well-known pediatric GI guy at the nearby University of Maryland. There, the doctor's physical examination resulted in a "suspicion" that she indeed, probably had Celiac, but further tests needed to be run. (Apparently, Olivia's half-Italian and half-Irish ancestry predispose her to Celiac, as the highest rates in the world are found in Italy and then Ireland.) Clinically, she presented with loud stomach sounds, bloating and gas, as well as daily diarrhea (interestingly, she only goes either once or twice in the morning, and that is usually it.) The doctor also noted that she has some white markings on her tooth enamel, which apparently is another indicator. Surprisingly to us, the next blood work (different tests) came back "normal," including the apparently crucial tissue transglutamenase test (excuse my spelling, as this all is new to me.) The doctor did say that her hemoglobin is on the low normal side, as is her iron level, but everything does register under "normal." As a result, he now says there is little way she can have celiac disease. He has not given up, however, and is having her take a breath hydrogen test (for lactose intolerance) and then, depending on what the third round of blood shows, he will either do a biopsy (for celiac) or an endoscopy/colonoscopy (I guess for suspected inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn's.) I read research by this same doctor on the Web that indicated that some people who present like my daughter (testing "normal" on the tissue transglutamenate test) may, in fact, be in the early stages of developing the disease, and may present with a full blown (and more miserable) case of it in five to ten years. Thus, I asked the doctor that if they come up, ultimately, with no answer, would it make sense to put her on a GF diet. No! Absolutely not! he told us. Too extreme. Now I am confused. I realize people can be allergic to wheat, thus needing the same GF diet as do celiacs. Can anyone explain how the allergy is diagnosed, or whether, in fact, those tests have already been taken. (She did have the IgA test, which was normal.) Only thing ain't normal is how she feels -- miserable. Thanks in advance, Lisa in Baltimore