<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I have been reading this list for about 3 weeks now but have never written. I am hoping someone can help me with my dilemma. Where to start - I've always been able to eat anything I wanted. Even a small pizza and a box of Hostess Ho-Ho's in one sitting. Never was sick, never got diarrhea from anything I ate, never ever had any gas. I was also always in perfect health. About 6 years ago when I was about 23 I developed Eczema on my hands only. I would lose layer upon layer of skin, on my fingertips. There were times if I was asked to give fingerprints (bank job) this would not have been possible. I also get little bubbles by my cuticles and under my fingernails. It only happened a few times a year, which I ignored for the first two years and then finally went to a dermatologist. I now use medicine at night and where gloves when I sleep because the medicine is so greasy. About 2 years ago I started developing "dry patches" on my body in the winter time (only 3 or 4 patches), that do not go away unless I use different medicine. On another note, I have had "growing pains" all my life. As I was growing up I would get pains in my knees that would shoot up and down my legs. The doctors told me this was because I shot up so fast ( I was the tallest kid in school for a while). The pains sometimes were so bad I couldn't walk. As I got in my early twenties I don't remember them happening at all and if they did it was only once a year (around the spring) and I just took some aspirin. Lately, in the past couple of years I've noticed that the pain is back and it is happening at least once a month. I went to my doctor and told her there is no way I could have "growing pains", as I have not grown in over 12 years! She tested for arthritis with negative results. (I bring this up because maybe it has to do with calcium deficiency?) In June of 1998, I went to my doctor for my annual physical and because I was always so tired (which is unusual as I am a Type A person). My blood tests came back with that I had Lyme disease. I took some antiboitics. They took a more thorough Lyme Disease blood test and it this one cam back NEGATIVE. My doctor told me I was so tired because I smoke. Around September 1998 I started getting an awful lot of gas, especially at night. It got so bad it would wake me up at night. Around November 1998 I started eating fiber for the first time in my diet (per my doctors orders). I would have a natural, organic, high fiber cereal for breakfast, multi-grain bread for lunch and a "power" bar for snacks (instead of cookies), which was very high in fiber. As far back as I can remember I would only have bowel movements 4 times a week. Right around this time I started having 2-3 BM's a DAY!!! And then I started getting cramping and diarrhea. I was eating so healthy I couldn't understand it. So I went to my general doctor and she told me to quit smoking, she said that was the cause of the problem. I quit smoking and two months later no change - I was actually getting worse. I went back to my doctor and we tried some "natural" remedies that I could buy at Health food stores - like enzymes that help digest and the likes. A month later no change I was still not feeling well. The third time I went to my doctors she told me to try the over-the-counter-drugs (like beano, gas-x, I even tried Zantac), much to my dismay this did not help either. She then thought I might be Lactose Intolerant so I tried those Lactose pills. The fifth and final time I went to her she gave me a prescription for an anti-gas drug. Nothing worked I finally got sick of going to her and nothing was changing - if anything things were getting worse. I was late to work everyday because I was on the toilet for 30 minutes every morning. I wasn't sleeping because the flatulence was keeping me up. I also couldn't go on any road trips without stopping and getting sick. I finally decided to see a specialist. I went to a Gastroenterologist and he met with and listened to my story for over 10 minutes. He took a blood test and then gave me the stuff to do a stool sample test. He also scheduled a colonosocopy. When I came back a few days later to give the doctor my stool sample, they told me that my blood work was in. This docotor, (not mine) came running out from meeting with a patient and told me that he was going to cancel the colonoscopy and make a date for an biopsy of my small intestine, my blood results came back positive for Celiac disease. My doctor called me a few days later and told me that my stool samples came back normal. He also discussed with me my blood test in more depth -he said that my IGG was positive and elevated but my IGA was negative. I went and had my biopsy and the test results came back NEGATIVE. My doctor then and there pronounced that I did not have Celiac's and that my blood test must have been a false negative. He wanted to schedule me for an ulcer test. I took the ulcer test with all negative results. He then wanted to schedule me for a colonoscopy again but I said no - I said to him that if my stool sample was normal then I should not have to do a colonoscopy. That out of all of my test taken the only one that came back positive was the blood test - for Celiac. I told him that if the blood test was a false positive that I should take another blood test. So I took another blood test with the SAME results -that came back positive for Celiac that - my IGG was positive and elevated but my IGA was negative. My doctor was not satisfied so with this information so he did a colonoscopy -he took out 12 polyps (biopsies) that he said were benign for Cancer, but that he wants me to come back every two years. But other than that, everything looked fine. So we were back to all test negative except the blood test. He then decided I should take a Lactose test, which in itself was a mess. The first hour I breathed into the machine I only registered a one and then after 4 times of blowing into the tube I registered a 20 and then I did it again and it kept climbing to above 30!!! They restarted the machine and I blew into it again and registered nothing this time, not even a one. So my doctor said I was NOT Lactose intolerance. He said that I should meet with a nutrionist to go on a "gluten sensitive enteropathy" diet. So I met with this great nutritionist who husband and herself are both Celiac's!!! I went on a gluten free, wheat free diet for about 3 weeks. I no longer had diarrhea (of course not I was constipated instead!), but I still was getting the gas and cramps. One time I ate just a steak and potato and be doubled over with cramps. So a few days ago my doctor called me and told he me had a conference call with my nutritionist and someone else in the "field" and the three of them came to the conclusion that I am NOT Celiac as my biopsy was negative and only my IGG was positive. My doctor told me to meet with my nutrionist for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My nutritionist thought that maybe if I wrote my story here that maybe someone could help with some answers. My questions are - could it be Celiac's? could it be the beginning of Celiac and if I keep eating wheat and the like it will get worse? Could an elevated IGG mean anything else? HELP. I am sick of being sick and I am sick of not having any answers, at least when I was diagnosed with Celiac it gave me a sense of calm that I at least knew what I finally had - but now that is not even not true Any advice would be much appreciated Laura New Jersey