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Hi Friends,
        This comes late, but I wanted to thank all 43 (!) of you who took
the time to send me your information, experiences, and/or well
wishes/prayers.  You are an amazing and supportive group!

The general consensis was:

        That the procedure is no big deal.  Most advised taking the meds.
Many expressed concerns about my Dr. had ordering the test when I have been
off of gluten for so long.

        I have made the decision to go ahead with the procedure.  There are
several reasons for my decision.

        First: because I have a good rapport with the Dr. and feel
confident of his advice.  He is the one who suggested CD in the first
place.  He recognized my symptoms because he has CD in his family.
        Second: Though I have been feeling much better and having more
energy, my bowls are still very loose.
        Third:  Athough I have cut out all "known" wheat, oats, barley and
rye; I have been eating millet and buckwheat.  I also have been finding out
bit by bit about other sources of contamination in my diet (through you
here on the list mostly :-). I do realize that it is not acceptable
practice here in the states to eat millet and buckwheat.  So at this point
I feel it would be wise to find out what's going on in there.

        Over the years I have been "diagnosed" with irritable bowls,
nervous stomach, nervous pyloric sphincter, and spastic cholitis.  I have
been prescribed smooth muscle relaxers for the gastric pains; tranquilizers
and anti-depressants because it's "all in my head,"... "you're just to
stressed honey;" and acid blockers like pepcid and zantac because eating
made my whole stomach burn (as a vegetarian my diet relied heavily on
grains).  None of these "cures" made me well.  Getting the offending grains
out of my diet has improved the quality of my life!

        As much as the testing may scare me, when I consider all of the
above not knowing scares me more.

Thank you so much for sharing with me,

Lynda

\*/\*/\*/ Lynda \*/ [log in to unmask]  \*/ So. Calif.\*/\*/\*/  _@v
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@-@--,   Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time;
<.               serenity, that nothing is. -Thomas Szasz
 ~