<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi group-- This is just my second posting, and I have a few questions. I've been battling some kind of illness off and on for the past 8 or so years. The diagnosed part of it is fibromyalgia, which I finally decided was caused by MAJOR allergies--both pollen and foods (some wheat), but mainly molds. This is the diagnosed part. Because of a string of either incompetent or uninformed doctors, I have finally got myself out of bed and have started getting better by avoiding the doctors and through self-care--mainly trying to watch what I eat, avoiding moldy places, and taking LOTS of vitamins, essential fats, and amino acids. I still have some lingering, strange symptoms that I can't seem to deal with--a very stiff back after eating eggs or other allergens, occasional bloody stools (not caused by hemmorhoids), large weight gain after eating hardly anything at all, and the inability to lose the weight. The only doctor (a holistic MD) I went to that actually helped has moved clear across town, and it's impossible for me to get there to see him. His theory was that all problems started in the small intestine, and that was probably the root of my symptoms. I've tried his treatments, and they helped, but I'm wondering if I should be worried about the other symptoms. He didn't want to do testing, etc.--didn't really believe in it. I did have some testing done about 15 years ago that confirmed diverticulosis--but I thought that was cleared up--maybe not. My questions, I guess, are: Are food and pollen allergies usually a cause/effect of celiac disease? Is bleeding sometimes a symptom that occurs with this? And what is the standard treatment for celiac disease? Avoidance, nutritional therapy, or what? Also, I'm not trying to be rude, but I have so many problems with commercial foods that I would never eat some of the things that have been asked about on the list--commercial french frys, frozen foods, candies with lots of artificial dyes, etc. I'm just wondering if avoiding these things help celiac symptoms? Or does it matter? And does eating foods that you are allergic to cause further damage to the intestinal lining? I guess that's enough for now--I would sure appreciate some answers. I tend to believe that I do have either celiac disease itself, or at least some damage. Even if I could find a doctor around here that was knowledgeable enough, where would I start? Bobbi in TX [log in to unmask]