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

    My son and I were diagnosed over two years ago.
We've gotten involved in the listservs, groups,
meetings, the celiac walks and activities to raise CD
awareness and enact food labeling laws.

    The one thing that breaks my heart daily is the
number of doctors reluctant to test for CD in patients

that have classic symptoms. Equally distressing is the
number of patients that put up with such doctors and
are timid to take the necessary steps to protect their
health!

     Just this morning, there is a message on the
listserv about a family whose daughter has many CD
symptoms, was in the hospital with kidney problems,
has eating disorders, is skin-and-bones except for a
bloated stomach and the doctor is pushing back on the
request to test for CD even though a parent has
already been diagnosed with CD! The comment form the
parents " ... we will work with this doctor until he
agrees to test for CD."

     So, today I want to register in the medical
journals a new, often overlooked symptom of CD:

Name of symptom: RELUCTANCE-TO-DIAGNOSE

Description of symptom: The reluctance to DEMAND
           a celiac panel (test) even though numerous
           CD symptoms exist, have persisted for a
           period of time, have not been definitively
           linked to another medical condition and
have
           not responded to any treatment.

Treatment: Get up early in the morning, have a good
           breakfast, get the phone and Yellow Pages,
           sit in a comfortable chair and call as many
           doctors as needed to find one that knows
           the word CELIAC and is enthusiastic about
           testing you for it. Then make an
appointment
           to be tested as soon as possible.

Follow-up: a) Repeat treatment for any other family
              member and friend that has the same
              symptoms.
           b) If you test positive, make sure your
              reluctant-to-test doctor knows and find
              a new doctor.




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