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Hello,

 I want to thank the many people who wrote to me to offer support and advise
about my recent doctor visit.  Because it was my first time going to a
gastroenterologist, I was kind of scared, imagining anal probes and other
torture...(just kidding).  I had hoped, without reason, that the doc might do
a biopsy right then and there, so I would know on the spot if I had Celiac or
not.  And I wondered about the details of the procedure itself.

 To sum up for the sake of anyone who has not yet had a biopsy, and might be
curious about the procedure, almost everyone who wrote to me about their
experience said the same thing: it is not too bad, not as bad as you might
think.  The first step toward the biopsy for most people was blood testing.
If further testing is warranted, then a biopsy is scheduled to be performed as
an outpatient procedure at the hospital.

 Many people told me that they had to fast from midnight the night before.
People mentioned different medications they were given to help them relax,
ease pain, and become sleepy and forgetful.  Some people didn't have too much
medication, others fell asleep and didn't remember the procedure at all.  Some
people had their meds administered through an IV, some mentioned they were
given something to drink.  A few people said something was sprayed in their
throats to numb the back of the throat.

 A few people said they had sore throats for a couple of days.  A lot of
people said they were groggy after the procedure, and suggested bringing
someone to drive home.  At least one person enjoyed his medicated state!

 Since several people asked me to update them about my own experience at the
doctor, here goes:  I did not get the biopsy right then and there, of course.
In fact, the doctor does not even think I could have Celiac, because he said,
I would be more skinny and wasted looking, and I would not have constipation,
I would have diarrhea.  He believes I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and
proceded to tell me all about IBS.  When I asked about my improvement on the
gf diet, he explained that I had probably cut out foods to which I was
"sensitive" during my gf trial.

 I don't think I mentioned in my original post that a reason I want to be
tested for Celiac is that my mother was  diagnosed with Celiac as a baby.  She
was so ill she almost died.  She was eventually hospitalized at a major
hospital in New York City, and put on a banana diet that saved her life.  As I
grew up, I heard that story, and heard the word Celiac, several times.  I was
never tested for it, however, because we all thought Celiac was a childhood
disease that one would only get in childhood, and outgrow over time.  It was
only this summer that I learned differently.

 Anyway, the doctor I saw on Monday was more interested in the fact that my
father takes pills for acid reflux than in my mother's history of Celiac.  He
said that since not as much was known about Celiac back then (1940s), they
couldn't properly diagnose it back then.  (So she might not have had Celiac at
all).

 Even though the doc does not believe my symptoms are due to Celiac, he did
order blood tests to be sure.  I asked him if the gluten-free diet that I had
been on this summer for 6 weeks (that was 5 weeks ago) could interfere with
the test results, and if I should be retested in a few months to be sure.  He
said that the tests he would take would absolutely at least give an indication
if Celiac was even possible; but he didn't explain the tests to me, other than
to say he was testing for Celiac, and measuring my level of vitamins and
minerals.

 If anyone is still reading this long post, I would like to know if the doctor
is right about the blood tests.  He said that a 6 week gf diet would not be
enough time to make up for vitamin deficiencies, so that if my Celiac tests
were negative, and my vitamin/minerals were normal, there would be no need to
test again.

 My personal feeling is that the doctor did not inspire any confidence in me
whatsoever.  So I probably *will* be tested again, and tested by another
doctor!

 To respond quickly to the people who wrote to me asking, "why bother with an
official diagnosis?" I would like to say: If my mother had had an "official"
diagnosis, perhaps the doctor I saw would have talked to me a bit more
seriously about the disease and its consequenses, and my probability for
developing it in the future.  I have a brother and 2 nephews, and if my
"official" diagnosis increases the chance that they will have better
healthcare, I am all for it!  I don't know if what I just wrote makes
sense...I think my family would be more aware of the possibility of Celiac if
I was diagnosed and in the care of a physician, than if I just had a habit of
not eating wheat!  That said, if a year from now I am still not feeling well,
and still not showing positive blood tests for Celiac, I surely will go back
on the GF diet!!!!!

 Thanks again, to EVERYONE who wrote to me, it helped me very much!

 Best Regards,
 Stacie

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