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<One word gives my reason to get the biopsy: respect. The first thing
out of my father-in-law's mouth when I talked about it  (he's a
retired doctor), was, "Is this your own idea, or did you get a
diagnosis?" I realized right away, especially having worked with
doctors for over 20 years, that other medical men, including
dentists, were not going to respect my opinion or experience unless
it had the official seal of approval of a medical professional's
announcement.>

Bobbi,
What you said seems to be true, and I find it very distressing. What I find
even more distressing is that other people with cd are more disapproving than
the medical profession, and even seem angry that a person would choose not to
have a biopsy. They seem to forget about false negative results and risk of
bowel perforation, etc.

Your GI doctor said other problems could cause your symptoms. Did he mean
getting sick from eating wheat and gluten from wheat and other sources can be
caused by something other than cd, or other conditions cause bloating, gas,
and diahrrea? That is the real question. In other words, if you prove that
gluten makes you sick, could it be from something other than cd (or
non-tropical sprue or whatever they choose to call it)?

Mara Levin (MA, USA)