<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Dear Listmates: My son Jeff, age 17, needs to be tested for celiac disease. He has an easily upset stomach and I have been suspicious that he is a celiac spru. His father has the disease and Jeffery takes after his father in everything. When I took him to our favorite GI specialist, the doctor behaved strangely. At first he wanted to biopsy him ASAP, when I stated that I would rather get a blood test first, and if it was positive then do the biopsy, he acted confused and stated, "What kind of blood test is there?" I was unprepared for this, I guess I should have researched before I took him to the doctor. I said it was probably a gluten antibodies test. He said OK, and he ordered that test. Then he did a complete turn around, and said that none of these test were necessary, just put him on a gluten free diet the rest of his life. (He was very serious.) I told him that it would be unfair to Jeff to do this without a diagnosis because a gluten free diet is a big commitment, and a major inconvenience. I don't think this got through to him. When I got home I got the Biopsies, Serological and other Noninvasive Screening for Celiac Disease downloaded from the archives. I learned from this that the test are: IgG and IgA gliadin Antibodies IgA Reticulin Antibodies ARA Iga Endomysial Antibodies EmA So I called the Lab and asked them if they do these test, they said sure, but the third test is the same as the second test. Going to a more qualified doctor is not in the question. We saw quite a few GI specialist here in Alabama when my husband was sick, and this guy is the best. Besides letting me ventilate my frustration, I want to know which test should I ask the doctor to do? He may limit me to one test "gluten antibodies". Also, I don't really think test #3 and test #2 are the same so I wonder about trusting the Lab. Thanks, Susan in Alabama