<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hello all, This is my first posting to the list, but I have been reading and learning from it all summer. After I recognised my symptoms in a newspaper article about celiac disease a few months ago, I decided to try the gf diet to see if it would help me. I was actually quite surprised that the diet did help me feel better, since I had been told before by 2 different doctors (not gastroenterologists) that my intestinal troubles were due to stress. After being gluten free for 6 weeks, I decided that it is important to me to be under a doctor's care, and discontinued the diet (so that the diet won't interfere with the test results). That was 5 weeks ago, and my first appointment with a gastroenterologist is on Monday. I had been looking forward to seeing the doctor for 5 weeks, but now that the appointment is so close at hand, I am getting nervous! It is scary for me to see a new doctor, and I don't know what to expect. Would he give me a biopsy right then and there, or would we schedule one for a later date? In any case, I have been wondering if the procedure requires you to fast for a time, and if they give you any pain killers or other medication during the procedure. I would really like to receive any words of encouragement, support, or shared experiences that might help me get through my visit on Monday. Thanks, and good health! Stacie [log in to unmask]