<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I have been on this list serve for some time now and find valuable the
helpful tidbits that make everyday living easier for my 6 year old who was
diagnosed 5 years ago.  Recently, my husband and 10 year old son are both
possibly showing signs of CD.  My husband has tiny, red, extremely itchy
blisters covering his body.  My son has intermittent diarrhea.  We have long
established that our CD connection came from my husband's side of the family.

Now my concern...locally we don't have physicians that are experts in CD.
When I speak to our doctors I feel like I have to present overwhelming
evidence and facts so that they will consider testing my husband and son for
CD.  They act as if CD is a rare disease and that the chances that my husband
and son have it is a nervous wife's/mother's over-reaction.  Both my husband
and son had the screening tests done yesterday at a local hospital.  Before
we get the results, I would like to be "armed & ready" with information as to
how to interpret the anti-gliadin antibody, anti-endomysial antibody, and
anti-reticulin antibody tests.  Can someone provide me with the normal
values, abnormal values, and what these values mean in relation to having or
not having CD or dermatitis herpetiformis?  I have been in health care for 13
years and have a reasonably good understanding of medical terms, tests, etc.
 By the way, my husband was able to get the tests done because the
gynecologist that I work for agreed to order them after my husband's
gastroenterologist wouldn't do anything until he saw him on Dec.3rd!

I appreciate any information that you can send.

Thank you all for the interesting dialogue.

Joy Farley