<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Larry Leveen & Jenny Rackley both wanted to know more about biopsies. I can only say that I did decide to have a biopsy, even after eliminating all the obvious gluten from my diet made me feel so much better-no gas or bloating, no nausea, hardly any diarrhea, no more giant size digestive sounds, and more energy. 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. You can imagine the hassle down the road, trying to get GF food in hospitals, GF treatment in the dentist's chair, etc., etc., etc. My own internist wasn't sure why I wanted to go through with the biopsy when I felt so much better (he said, condescendingly, that it is "really called non-tropical sprue" and extremely rare ! and unlikely to be my problem), but he freely admitted it was not his field, and referred me to a GI specialist. To my great relief, Dr. Bedine took me seriously, and agreed that my history and genetic background were consistent with celiac disease, and commented that CD was more prevalent in people of Irish descent (my father is mostly Irish) than of any other group. He decided to cut to the chase, and scheduled me for the biopsy, in March. Now comes the bummer part: Yes, you should be eating gluten when you get the biopsy, as the poor intestine will start healing just as soon as it has the chance, and the biopsy could turn out negative. So I have to be eating a "normal" diet for several weeks (I was gluten-free for 3 weeks) to mess my intestine up again for the biopsy. If it is negative, he says there are other problems that could account for my symptoms, and he'll look at them next, if necessary. I hope that won't be necessary, as I feel even more rotten than I did before. I haven't had any other tests, like blood or sputum tests, and don't know any more about them than I've read on this wonderful list and on the webpages devoted to celiac disease. Hoping this helps. Bobbi in Baltimore [log in to unmask]