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

  I need some support. After many years of digestive problems and diagnosis
of IBS, candida, and numerous food allergies, going to numerous alternative
and traditional health practitioners and taking numerous supplements, I got
back stool test results ordered from Diagnos-Techs Lad by my NAET
(Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques) practitioner saying I am
gluten intolerant and have bad leaky gut. Years ago a nutritionist
suggested I might be gluten intolerant, and I was mostly gluten free
(except for oats) for months then without much improvement.I was on a
low-gluten diet the last few years. Now I have been strictly GF since
3/27/00 with no consistent significant improvement in symptoms. My MD
ordered the blood test (soon after stool test results)  which came back
normal. I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist later in May to get
a biopsy, for which I guess I should eat gluten again for 2-3 weeks
beforehand.

  I still have bad gas and gas pains, especially when I don't have at least
2-3 large bowel movements  a day, despite a GF diet, food combining, few
sweets, supplements for leaky gut and avoidance of soy, eggs, pepper, heavy
dairy and other obvious triggers. I use to have alternating diahrea and
constipation, but since I've been on a new anti-depressant (GF) which
really helps my insomnia and anxiety (I haven't been able to sleep at all
when I've tried getting off them in the past) I've been more constipated,
despite taking non-laxative GF teas and herbs which used to work better for
constipation. I feel discouraged when I'm doing so much to heal my gut and
still have problems.

  Now for my questions: Do others of you have bad gas problems? Do some of
you still have bad symptoms after being on a GF diet for a while? How long
before you've felt much better? On this list I've seen references to a TTG
test and confusion about whether it's better to have an enteroscopy rather
than an endoscopy. What's a TTG test, and what's the difference between an
enteroscopy and an endoscopy, and which is best for a celiac diagnosis? My
NAET accupuncturist thinks a gluten intolerant stool test doesn't
necessarily mean a celiac diagnosis and a life-time of needing to be GF.
I'm prepared to be GF for life if I would just get clear cut improvement of
symptoms, and ideally, a clear celiac diagnosis. Have others of you had
experience with stool tests diagnosing gluten intolerance and how did that
correlate with your biopsy results?

  I would really appreciate some responses to my questions. Thank you for
your time.

Beila in Calif.