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Hello all,

This is my first posting to the list, but I have been reading and learning
from it all summer.  After I recognised my symptoms in a newspaper article
about celiac disease a few months ago, I decided to try the gf diet to see if
it would help me.  I was actually quite surprised that the diet did help me
feel better, since I had been told before by 2 different doctors (not
gastroenterologists) that my intestinal troubles were due to stress.

After being gluten free for 6 weeks, I decided that it is important to me to
be under a doctor's care, and discontinued the diet (so that the diet won't
interfere with the test results).  That was 5 weeks ago, and my first
appointment with a gastroenterologist is on Monday.

I had been looking forward to seeing the doctor for 5 weeks, but now that the
appointment is so close at hand, I am getting nervous!  It is scary for me to
see a new doctor, and I don't know what to expect.  Would he give me a biopsy
right then and there, or would we schedule one for a later date?  In any case,
I have been wondering if the procedure requires you to fast for a time, and if
they give you any pain killers or other medication during the procedure.

I would really like to receive any words of encouragement, support, or shared
experiences that might help me get through my visit on Monday.

Thanks, and good health!
Stacie

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