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From:
MS SUE O PIGGOTT <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 2 Jul 1997 12:36:31 -0500
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Please help me if you can.

My mother-in-law (age 80) was diagnosed, via biopsy, 3 years ago as a
celiac.  At that time, she was down to 70 pounds and had muscle
attrition everywhere, even her face.  She was starving to death, and
it took them 6 weeks in the hospital to discover it was celiac that
was doing it.

The gastro team sees one celiac every two or three years.  They are
not experienced, obviously.  However, they DID find it.

She has been as GF as we can make it for the last 3 years.  She's up
to 100 pounds and has been doing fine.  However, recently she has
been getting very fuzzy mentally.  We checked everything she is
eating; can't find anything out of order.

Took her to her GP.  He ordered lots of tests, including what he said
was a new one that replaces the antigliadin test . . .it's called
antiendomysial.  It came back negative.

I thought for a celiac, this is what you want.  A negative test
result, showing you are eating gluten free.  However, her GP called
one of the gastro "specialists" who said, oh if it's negative, then
she's not really celiac.  She can eat gluten products.  She must have
some other problem.

This scared the living daylights out of me, because I understood that
a negative just meant that you were staying off of gluten and that it
was a good result to get, BUT that you are NOT to go back to eating
gluten.

We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with another one of the
"specialists" in that practice (not the one who talked to the GP. I'm
afraid of him).

If anyone knows what a negative result on the antiendomysial test
means, please E-Mail me ASAP.  If I'm wrong, I don't want to argue
with them and leave her on a GF diet when she could be filling up on
her beloved cake and pie and cookies.  (I do bake a lot of GF
desserts for her, but she hates eating well-balanced meals first.)
But if I'm correct, I can't let them put her back on a regular diet
and put her in a gluten crisis.  She has made a good comeback from
being in such bad shape - I don't want to see that jeopardized.

Especially now that she has something else going on that makes her
mentally fuzzy.

Thank you in advance for your support.

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