<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Thank you to those of you who responded: I asked l. If gluten intolerance and celiac disease were one and the same - intolerance being perhaps a precursory condition. 2. If the biopsy could have been taken from an undamaged area, and if all of the villi in the intestine were affected. #1: Of the 19 respondents, three were in the same situation diagnostically and had been wondering the same thing, the other l6 assured me that they were two of the names for the one condition. #2: Regarding the biopsy, one person believed that since the biopsy is taken from the point at which food enters the small intestine, it would likely experience the most damage, and from that I inferred that if that were true, a negative was more likely to be an actual negative. However, there were at least two persons that maintained that since the surface area of the small intestine is quite large (one person having been told it was the size of a tennis court) the likelihood of error was equally large. It being the case that damage is patchy, most agreed that a false negative biopsy was more likely than a false positive blood test. It was unanimously recommended that if the gf diet promotes health and well-being, it should be followed regardless of the diagnosis, and I am very much in agreement with that. I now realize that there are two reasons to pursue further testing and /or diagnosis, should I decide to do that: If I feel that I could add to the specialist's fund of knowledge, and if I would in the long run feel less like I am being treated as either a hypochondriac or a chronic complainer. Since I feel that the GI pretty much puts me in both categories, I don't currently feel up to that, but time and more research may help me to do that. The nearest support group as far as I can tell, is a three hour drive. Of course, as I begin to feel better, that won't seem as formidable, hopefully. Thank you very much for sharing your insights, websites, and empathy. Nancy McPherson, Ashland, OR