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

Greetings fellow celiacs.

My sincere gratitude to all of you who responded to my frustration and
confusion.

All 40+ folks (except 1) that wrote me back agreed that the biopsy would be
an unnecessary expense due to the fact that after being gf for 7 months I
should be healed quite nicely and I would get a false negative result from
the biopsy as well as the 8 tubes of blood they just took from me.
I'll start by saying that I did print out some of the items that some of you
forwarded to me, I highlighted areas and faxed to the dr. with a cover
letter expressing my concerns.  I rec'd a call from him about 2 hours later
and we discussed what his plan was.

His reasoning for the biopsy was that he saw that I had 2 tests initially,
one came back positive and one negative:  I had been gf for 3 weeks at the
time of the test-I don't know if that matters. He said he knew that I was gf
and that he just wanted to see where my intestines were in the healing
process and see if I had any tumors.  Once we get a baseline, then he may
challenge my system.  He didn't want to challenge me unnecessarily.  He also
assured me that he has a few dozen celiac patients and speaks at the local
support groups, etc.

My reasoning for verifying the diagnosis was that through reading the emails
on this list I have noticed that anytime anyone says "I have healed myself
through alternative medicine practices..." i.e. accupuncture recently- the
responses are very cynical and full of questions regarding the validity of
the diagnosis.  I happen to be a Reiki Master/Teacher and take my practice
very seriously and sacredly, I have helped folks conquer cancer, heart
problems, emotional problems, chronic pain, etc.  I am quite positive that
if it is in my highest interest then I will overcome this issue through my
healing practice and when I finally write in to say "I'm healed!", I want
the proof to show that I was truly celiac and that it is possible to
overcome.   I am willing to go back on the gluten, providing I can get a
medical leave from work-I can't drive and do gluten too-and deal with
people.

I hope this answers some of the common questions that I rec'd yesterday and
this morning.

Thank you so much for helping me to make an educated decision.  Mary
Stephen Belleville, IL