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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