SiandAshs Mom

Well, you may have a cold coming on with a sore throat, but the other symptoms you described sound like celiac disease. celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder -- not an allergy. It can take a while for your body to ramp up. Everyone has a different response. Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks so much. Yeah, I could just be getting a cold. Who knows! It's weird though - It doesn't feel like a sore throat now. I can drink and eat without the pain that typically comes with a sore throat. My neck/glands feel tender and swollen though. I will keep up with a food diary to see what I can determine.

Can these symptoms be brought on by non-celiac gluten sensitivity? My attg iga blood test was very negative so my doc doesn't believe I have celiac...

Hi all. I had the attg iga blood test run (it's the only celiac blood test available here unfortunately). It came back completely negative. I eliminated gluten for 3 months anyway and was feeling really good. Not perfect, but much better than before.

A few days ago I added gluten back in. I ate a lot of gluten over the course of two days. I felt okay afterward but did notice some stomach pain - nothing really bad. Yesterday I felt really weepy and depressed and then before I went to bed I felt like I got hit with the flu. I had/have a headache and feel completely weak and tired.

Could this all be from gluten? Is it normal to feel okay for a couple days and then get hit hard with symptoms at that point? My doctor believes there is absolutely nothing wrong with me so it's hard for me to figure out what the heck is going on with all these vague but debilitating symptoms! Thanks for your thoughts and advice

ETA - I also felt like I had a sore throat and that a cold is coming on... could that be from gluten as well? It hasn't progressed into a cold at this point...

Sorry if this was posted already somewhere else - I couldn't find anything... I just came across this article Open Original Shared Link  

What are your thoughts on this? I tested negative on the attg iga blood test (the only blood test available here). My doctors don't think gluten is an issue. I went on a gluten free diet anyway and I feel better. My GI issues have almost completely resolved, and issues I have been having with my monthly cycle have improved as well. My nails have always split and broken off and now they are super long and strong. I guess I'm just really confused - is this really all in my head? I know what we believe and think have a great power over us physically but really? Nocebo effect? It's all psychological? What does the celiac/NCGI community think of this? Thanks!

It is likely the steroids that would affect the test are going to be ones you take orally, such as prednisone or other oral corticosteroids.  Inhaled/sprayed corticosteroids like nasal sprays and breathing medicines are not going to have nearly as much effect on the body systemically.  Those can be used continually without the classic long term side effects of the orally taken drugs which are much higher dosage. I would not worry about discontinuing use of a nasal spray.

 

If someone has a condition where they have been on oral steroids such as prednisone, for a long time, then they would need to look into the possibility of a false negative on the blood tests.  Even in that case, because oral corticosteroids are not something you can abruptly discontinue, it is likely the test would still be done.  Then if it is borderline negative/negative, the possibility of a false negative can be looked in to.

I'm with Laura. I think they mean the kind you take orally for a long time.

This is what I was thinking too.  

 

Inhaled steroids are at a MUCH lower concentration for sure. Our Dr. said a 5 day course of oral steroids was about equal to a YEAR on inhaled. They are more targeted and though they would enter the blood stream it wouldn't be in very large doses at all.  

 

I would call your Dr. for clarification. If they don't know then perhaps they can consult with someone who would know.

Thanks folks! He's already been off the nasonex for 3 weeks anyway so we went and had his blood drawn today. I think it makes sense that they would be referring to oral steroids that had been taken for a long time. I appreciate all your knowledge and insight!

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time getting a doctor to help you. Is it a possibility to go to a walk in clinic and ask a random Dr. there if they'll test you?

I am in Alberta - thankfully the ttg iga test is covered by Alberta Health and my doc was willing to send me for it. Unfortunately if that one test comes back negative (as mine was) then you're screwed because that's the only celiac test the labs run (unless your ttg iga is high - then they'll also run the ema iga as well). We have no antigliadin iga or igg, no ttg igg, no dgp tests - nothin'. If you're willing to drive over the border and pay for tests out of pocket, you may have more luck having the tests run in the states. They seem to run a lot more of these blood tests then they do here in Canada. At least then you'd know you had a complete celiac blood panel done. 

And if all that fails, you may have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Symptoms are just as real as celiac symptoms but without the proof! Hang in there - I hope you are able to get some answers.

I wasn't aware that you had to be off steroids for blood testing. Did you ask the Dr.?

No, I can almost guarantee that my doctor would have no idea that steroids can cause inaccurate results. I only knew because of these forums. The lead celiac researchers do acknowledge that steroids are a no-no though. Still, I can't seem to find any info on how long one must abstain from steroids... 

Open Original Shared Link

I take something similar, and really feel my allergies galloping back in just a week, yet it takes a good six weeks to really take hold...you will need to call your pediatrician to find out how long your son's medication takes to get out of the body...it may have a higher half life than mine does.

 

Just be ready for a heavy eyed snuffly and miserable boy in the interim. 

 

My heart goes out to him, and you.

 

Good luck on the testing.

Thanks so much for responding. I'm sorry you struggle when off your meds too. Not fun at all! My son has already been off of the nasonex for 3 weeks and he's a congested tired mess! It's amazing how much better he sleeps when he takes it... I really don't like him being on meds but his quality of life is just so greatly improved.

Looking up online it says that the plasma elimination half-life of nasonex is 5.8 hours... I'm guessing that doesn't mean it's fully out of his system though. I'll ask the doctor. 

Thanks again for your advice. All the best to you

My 5 year old has a requisition in for the attg iga blood test (the only test available here in Alberta, Canada). He has been on nasonex (mometasone) steroid nasal spray daily for quite a while now. How long should it be off it before we take him in for blood work? Thanks so much

Yeah, I went on Hormone replacement to stop my 30 day periods that dropped my hemoglobin levels so low that I could not breathe well. It worked (and I did not need a hysterectomy that my GYN. Was hoping for!) I took iron and then my ferritin level increased to just within the normal range. Hemoglobin always is just below range due to genetic anemia. A year later, I officially went through menopause and my ferrtin dropped again. That is when the GI caught the celiac disease. I was in for a routine colonoscopy. He ordered the blood tests and added an endoscopy along with my colonoscopy.

Wow - yeah, low iron after menopause is certainly a red flag! I'm sorry it took so long for you to get a diagnosis but I'm glad they figured it out

Maybe he could at least peek at your terminal ileum during your colonoscopy? Worth an ask? I hope you find an answer.

Yeah, I will definitely ask! It couldn't hurt. Thanks so much

You could try the AGA tests but the only result you can be sure is accurate is a positive; the negatives could be a false negative.... You never know.

Is it possible to get the endoscopy done at the same time as the colonoscopy? A few have had it done that way but I am not aware if they do it that way out here. I never saw a GI ( the wait time was crazy) so I don't know.

I suppose you could ask if they could run the DGP tests and send it to an out of province lab. I know someone who had tht done for a different test, so it can be done.

Hang in there. I know it is super frustrating.

Thanks - my regular doctor really didn't think an endoscopy was warranted at all so I'm not sure how much help he'll be. Since he's willing to send me for a colonoscopy though I could just take my chances and hope the GI is more willing to look for possible celiac damage. And maybe he'd look into out-of-province DGP testing, if only to shut me up! Lol! Thanks so much for the suggestions. I will certainly look into it. 

All the best to you all! 

Do not fall for the old heavy menstrual bleeding routine! That and a genetic anemia masked my celiac disease. I mean it could be related, but maybe not.

I was diagnosed last year, but my husband was not. He went gluten-free 13 years ago at the advice of my allergist and his GP. The proof of his intolerance occurred with the strict avoidance of gluten. My cousin tested negative to the blood test and biopsy, but went gluten-free anyway and she feels great. We figured since her mom had gluten issues and I did, that was enough to keep her gluten free.

I wish you well!

Thank you! I am on progesterone only birth control pill now so my bleeding should decrease. Hopefully my iron levels start to go up more but if they don't, maybe the doctor will agree to send my for an endoscopy . I'm glad your family feel better gluten free. I may have to follow their lead and go gluten free without a diagnosis. That wouldn't be the end of the world!

I love that you put it this way. It's just so true. 

 

I'd been having problems for years. New doctor said I presented celiac, but he opted to do a colonoscopy first because I'd had polyps before. He went into the ileum and found completely flattened villi. That's when he ordered an endoscopy for the next time and did blood work. Endoscopy also showed inflamed esophagus and more flattened villi. The only positive bloodwork was the ttg igg. Ttg iga was fine. 

 

What a ride. I just had my follow up appointment last week and am anxiously awaiting those results. I can see that ferritin is really low but B12 looks ok. We'll see. 

 

Stay on the hunt!

That's why I wish we had more testing options available - they treat the tTG IGA like a one-size-fits-all test and it really isn't. Many people probably test negative when they are in fact celiac. 

My doctor is willing to send me for a colonoscopy due to GI issues I've had all my life (I've been diagnosed with IBS) so maybe I should go ahead with that... Thanks for your input.

So the general consensus is that the AGA igg/iga tests are pretty useless? Is there any way I could get the DGP tests and tTg IGG tests here in Alberta? Google searches haven't been fruitful...

Did you have any nutrient levels tested?  Many of us have low vitamin B, D and iron/ferritin.  My levels were low, but since have come up. 

 

D

Thanks for the response. Yes, my iron is quite low. It was at 9 ug/L and after being on good quality oral iron supplements for a year it's only now at 12. I have an endometrial cyst on my ovary so my doctor believes this is due to heavy menstrual bleeding (which it may be...). My B12 was in the normal range for my lab (>150 is normal) but I feel it's still kind of low at 276 pmol/L. I don't know about my vitamin D levels... 

Some doctors think that the AGA IgA and AGA IgG can show gluten senstivity (NCGI/NCGS) in individuals without celiac disease but that is not a widely accepted belief. It's discussed briefly inOpen Original Shared Linkon page 11. On page 12 it shows that the sensitivity is not as good as the other tests so here is a chance that a gluten sensitivity (mainly celiac disease)  could be missed - especially in the AGA IgG.  Overall, I think the AGA tests are usually used for determining if one has celiac disease, and not NCGI. I'm not sure if there is anyone around here who "just" had a positive AGA test and was diagnosed with celiac disease, but I think that could be due to the fact that it's not run that often anymore because it is less reliable than the other tests.

 

If you are going to spend money on tests, you may want to consider the newer DGP IgA and DGP IgG tests. They tend to do a good job of detecting celiac disease, and are superior tests for detecting early cases of celiac disease.

 

You might want to have the tTG IgG run. Some celiacs are negative in all IgA based tests even though their total serum IgA is fine. There are a few active board members around who have had this experience.  And then there are those who had all negative blood tests but the endoscopic biopsy was positive (or vice versa).

 

There are a lot of tests because not everyone's celiac disease gets "caught" the same way.

 

If you run out of testing options, due to cost or availability, you could always go gluten-free and call yourself a possible celiac disease or NCGI.  Two of my kids definitely had issues with gluten. I am a celiac so I had them tested. The only test available was the tTG IgA, and it was negative. I made them gluten-free anyways and they are much healthier because of it. We still don't know if they have NCGI or celiac disease, but either way, the gluten-free diet is the treatment.

 

Best wishes.

Thank nvsmom. You have helped me out with lots of questions I've posted previously so I appreciate the help . I am in Alberta and I haven't seen any DGP IGA and IGG available anywhere. I haven't seen the tTG IGG available anywhere either. I wish wish wish I could have those run! I am heading to Vancouver later this month - is there anywhere I could have those tests run there? I'm really struggling with not having an official diagnosis, especially when I know there are other tests that could maybe show something. For my kids' sakes I wish I could have a definitive answer but I know that just may not happen...

Hi all. I had the ttg iga test run a few months ago and it was flat out negative (my total iga was normal). I still suspect I have an issue with gluten but our labs here don't run any other tests. I know that the local naturopath can run a 'celiac panel' that includes ttg iga (already know it's negative) along with antigliadin iga and igg. Now I know most labs don't run these tests any more as they aren't as specific (?) to celiac, but is there a possibility that they could tell me some useful information? Are there people who are actually celiac that only show positive antigliadin blood tests? Is there any proof that they show possible NCGI? I would love your opinions before I pay out of pocket to have these tests run. Thanks so much!

If you care to discuss it further, do you have a history?   Why did you do this test instead of an antibody tests?  Were you tested for DQ2 and Dq8?  You may not have been checked for celiac at all.

 

Did you have a total IgA test alone?  The total IgA would show that you don't have low antibodies only, I believe.  This would only mean that your test would not false negative for that reason.

 

Did you try a gluten free diet?  Did you notice changes after going gluten free?

 

You do have symptoms that could be celiac.  They could be something else.  Yet, please be sure that you have been checked carefully for celiac as it is serious and often is misdiagnosed.  Better now than later.

 

D

Thanks for responding. I did have the ttg iga test done and it was negative (ttg iga is the only celiac blood test available here - they don't ever run a full celiac panel and only run the ema test if ttg iga is positive). Since I still had symptoms which improved on a gluten free diet, I wanted to have the gene test done. My kids have symptoms as well and I wanted tools to advocate for them - I knew I could rule out celiac if my genetic test came back negative. 

The company that produces this gene test is the same company that makes the biocard/celiacsure at-home attg blood test. The gene test is specifically for celiac, so I'm sure the confusion lies in my ineptitude in reading the results!

From the research I have been doing, I think I have half of a DQ2 gene and half of a DQ8 (DQ2 is apparently DQA1*05/DQB1*02 - I have the DQA1*05 allele - and DQ8 is DQA1*03/DQB1*0302 - I have the DQB1*03 allele). I don't know if I am reading this correctly, but when I get the paper copy of my results I will call them and speak to them directly. I just think their results are a little more difficult to read than others. 

I actually just did the biocard attg blood test on my little guy last night and the results were a very faint positive. I plan on taking him in to the doctor to see if he'll send him for the lab tests.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and advice. All the best

I think you got no answers because this looks like an incomplete report? What company did this test? Genetic stuff is very hard to understand.  Just remember that - 30% of the US population have at least 1 "gene" for Celiac but only about 1% of the population have Celiac.  Just having a gene piece or two does not mean you have Celiac disease.

 

 And the TTG test - did they test total serum IGA?  Without that test,negative results don't mean much.

Thanks for posting - here's the website Open Original Shared Link . This is the results that they emailed to me. They are also mailing me the report so hopefully there is more info in that. My doctor did run a total IGA and it was normal. Looks like celiac isn't the answer. I appreciate your thoughts!

First, there is no known testing for Gluten Intolerance.  Second, I'm assuming you have a reason to suspect Celiac Disease?  If so then you should discuss your concerns with your Doctor.  As you know, we are not Gene Specialists here.  I really have no idea what your results mean.  These results do not show the two genes they look for in Celiac Disease, DQ2 and 8 I believe.  Maybe you can contact the test company for further explanations. 

 

Sorry I could not help you further.  Good luck.

 

Colleen

Thanks Colleen. Yes, I have a lot of symptoms but no diagnosis from doctors other than IBS, depression, and iron deficiency. I have discussed my concerns and haven't gotten any answers. I've been trying to do what I can to figure things out. If the report they mail to me doesn't contain any more info then I will contact them directly. I just thought someone here may be able to shed some light on the results. I appreciate you taking the time to read and respond

Anyone? It has a part that explains my genetic risk profile. It says I am DQX.5 which means my risk ratio is 1:1842 which is significantly less risk than the general population. Does this mean celiac disease is highly unlikely for me? If my husband passed on a celiac gene to our kids and they got the gene from me as well is their risk significantly increased? I'm assuming risk is related to the gene they would receive from my husband, right? Also, could the gene I carry cause non-celiac gluten sensitivity? Is there any info on that anywhere? Sorry for all the questions - I really didn't get a lot of info from the company that did the testing so I'm just trying to make sense of it all.

Hello all, 

I recently ordered a genetic celiac test and got the results back. It says, "This patient has a genetic predisposition to celiac disease." But then one part says my risk factor is below the average population - and I have no idea what DQ I am or what that even means... Here's what it says...

Locus                         AG1                                      AG2

DQB1                         03:XPFJ                               03:XPFJ

Ser. Equiv                   DQ3                                    DQ3

Allelic results         a whole string of DQB1 plus a bunch of numbers I can post if needed...

DQA                           03:MN                                  05:CMM

Ser. Eqiv                    no corr. antigen                   no corr. antigen

Allelic results              DQA1*03:01/02/03              DQA1*05:05/09/11   

What does this mean? I really have no idea! And I already had a attg iga blood test done that came back negative (if that makes any difference). Thanks

Good luck with the gensure test.  

 

What are you thinking for more testing at this time? I'm not sure if the DGP tests are even available in Alberta. At my last doctor appointment, I discovered that my doctor had never even heard of the DGP tests.   I know labs can be sent away, because I know one man who had his blood work sent to the Mayo clinic - but this was a different health issue where blood test monitoring is required, and not just helpful like in celiac disease.

 

Naturopaths are often more open to giving T3 than regular docs are. I have actually found a protocol for Calgary (might be Alberta) that says to only give synthetic T4 and that T3 is not needed; it also strongly advises against natural desiccated thyroid... Truly a shame as not everybody feels well on exactly the same meds; it allows for no variation.

 

Sometimes our Alberta Health Care is a blessing, and other times I REALLY wish we could have more control of our health. 

I actually have no idea what testing to do. There really isn't much else here other than the biopsy... my doctor suggested a colonoscopy and I thought that he may send me for an endoscopy as well but I'm not sure he would agree to that - and I'm not sure if it's necessary since the tTG IgA was completely negative.

I know the naturopath here does IgG testing so I could pay for the IgG gliadin test. I've heard conflicting info on its usefulness though. Some seem to think it indicates gluten sensitivity and others think it has no meaning at all so I'm not sure it's worth paying for. Thoughts on that? I guess I will probably see the naturopath for thyroid issues anyway so I can ask her then. I really don't understand why some medical professionals are against T3 and natural thyroid. Does it really make sense medically to only treat with T4 meds? It doesn't make rational sense to me   Thanks again for your input!

Yeah... I'm in Alberta too and couldn't get any more testing either. You might be able to find a mail order lab and have a local lab draw the blood and send it off East or to the States, but I bet it costs a pretty penny.

 

I strongly suspect celiac disease in two of my three boys. They too had negative tTG IgA tests so with no other testing options, I just made them gluten-free. I'm a celiac so I wouldn't be surprised if they are too, but at the very least they are NCGI (non-celiac gluten intolerant) which can result in a host of symptoms and complications if ignored - pretty much the same as celiac disease but minus the villi atrophy.

 

I opted not to do the endoscopy for my kids because I had already determined that they had a gluten intolerance and needed to be gluten-free, so I didn't feel an endoscopy was needed. But that's just my personal view of our own situation. If you feel strongly that an endoscopy should be done, then it should be done. Just be aware that if it is negative, you could still have NCGI as it is 6-10 times more common that celiac disease is. A gluten-free diet of about 6 months is really the only way to diagnose that.

 

Going gluten-free could help your thyroid too. Some find their body meets their thyroid hormone needs better after going gluten-free.  You never know.  

 

Based on my own experiences, you may need to find an "alternative" doctor or naturopath to address your thyroid needs if the lab results continue to be in the normal range. In Calgary, our TSH range is still 0.2-6.0 and I had to fight to get more meds and finally switched doctors.  I hope your doctor is open minded.  Good luck!

Thanks nvsmom. You've given me great feedback in other questions I've posted as well. Yeah, I would be fine just cutting out gluten from my diet completely but the fact that a diagnosis may benefit my kids keeps me from just accepting that. I just ordered the genesure genetic test from glutenpro and even though it wasn't cheap it will maybe help me figure out if I need to push for more testing or if I just need to start the gluten-free diet in earnest (I've done a week or two before but always stopped as I thought I may want more testing). I know the gene test won't tell me if I'm celiac but it will let me know if it's even a possibility. And thanks for the tip on finding a naturopath for thyroid issues. We do have a really good naturopath clinic here so I may end up seeing them if my doctor doesn't think there's any issues. Wow, a range of up to 6.0 is just crazy! There are probably so many people suffering but the lab still says they're fine. So sad! 

What did the doc say?

I have had a rash that looks just like that, only more read, my whole life, have just reasently started to wonder if it might be DH...

Sorry - I only checked this now... his doctor looked at it and said it was nothing. I am assuming he's correct and that it isn't DH but I still feel it seems fishy. Just not indicative of anything in particular. I have come to the conclusion that I need to figure out my own health first and get an appropriate diagnosis for myself before I can help my kids with their concerns. Hope you are able to sort out your own health as well

So I asked my doctor for celiac blood tests a few months ago. He sent me for total IgA (1.32 g/L {ref 0.70-4.00}) and the tTG IgA (<1.0 U/mL {ref <7.0}). My total IgA is normal and my tTG IgA is a big fat negative. I then found out that they only run the EMA if there is an elevated tTG IgA so they didn't run that on me. The lab doesn't even do the gliadin tests or the DGP test.

I am almost certain I have an issue with gluten (life long GI issues which previous doc diagnosed as IBS, iron deficiency, depression, fatigue...) and would love to explore all angles so I can care for my kids' health properly. I recently was reading my full bloodwork results and realized that my TSH is high (3.19 mU/L). It wasn't flagged as the labs have a range of 0.20-4.00 but I believe that is high for me. I am going back to my doc next week to have my free T3's, free T4's and antibodies checked. I'm thinking it may be Hashimotos but we'll see. 

I really feel more exploration into celiac is warranted but am not sure how to proceed now. Is there another way to have the gliadin and DGP blood tests run since my local labs won't do it (I'm in Alberta, Canada)? Should I just push for an endoscopy? I appreciate your thoughts! Thanks!

ETA: I found this presentation that my lab put out about lab testing for celiac. I find it interesting that the only reason they give for not having the DGP test is that it's expensive :facepalm: 

Open Original Shared Link

Yes, that looks like total serum immunoglobulin A and G. Both look good if just a tad on the low side.

Did you have your kids tested? You said they appeared to have a gluten sensitivity too. You probably should get them tested to check (unless you are planning on making them strictly gluten-free regardless of any tests). Plus, if they are positive, then you can be pretty sure that you are a celiac even if you are serologically negative in the one tTG IgA test, and I believe 5-25% of celiacs are.

Good luck with the gluten-free diet!

Thanks - do you think the fact that the IgG and IgA are on the low side is an issue? I have an appointment with my kids' paediatrician tomorrow. My oldest doesn't seem to have any symptoms of celiac (other than reflux) but my younger two have some things I'm concerned about. I'll see if he's willing to have them tested. We stopped our gluten-free diet (well, it was more a gluten-light diet) so the testing won't be off because of that. Hopefully we'll either get some answers or soon be done with testing so we can go gluten free anyway! Again, thanks for your post

I'm in Alberta too.  My doctor (before i realized doctors aren't all experts on celiac disease - my bad) ordered the "celiac panel" and it was just the tTG IgA, total serum IgA, and EMA IgA; I think they only went ahead with the EMA because I ended up with a high tTG IgA... I am one of the "lucky" ones that had very clear cut lab results. Anyway, I don't think the labs up here are very up to date when it comes to celiac disease.

 

Good luck with the gluten-free diet (after your endoscopy) for you and your family. My kids all tested negative but a couple appear to have issues with gluten (symptoms resolved on a gluten-free diet) so we made the house gluten-free. It's a bit tricky when we are out and they want a treat, but I think making kids gluten-free (especially if they have noticable symptoms) is worth it in the long run.

Thanks nvsmom. Apparently the labs here aren't good either. They only had the tests you mentioned and they didn't even run the EMA since my tTG IgA was negative (my doctor saw the celiac panel list I brought in and agreed to send me for all the blood tests I could get). The paperwork says, "REQUEST CANCELLED. Not indicated. ATTG test has greater sensitivity for Celiac disease. If clinical suspicion is high, EMA may be approved." So I guess a doctor asking for a test to be run isn't reason enough for the lab to run the test... I have been unwell my entire life and this is what I continually come up against. I'm just ready to give up. I have a question about a test they ran - I think it's my total serum IgA and IgG - am I right? It says...

IgA 1.47 [0.70-4.00] g/L

IgG 8.64 [6.94-16.18] g/L

Anyway, thanks for listening to me rant. I appreciate the input

I completely understand. And it's frustrating for you as it's like being caught between a rock & a hard spot.

 

Hang in there.

Thanks! I have a doc appointment for my son on Monday. If anything comes out of it, I'll post . Thanks again!

Oh I see. That's why I didn't know. It was like cross posting happens.

Okay. I understand where you're coming from & I don't think you're overreacting; you're just keeping a weather eye out & rightly so! Well, there's nothing to keep you all from going gluten-free. The only thing with your kids is that an official dx would make things easy for school b/c you could prove to them that he/they need to eat gluten free. That may be an issue, so you have to decide how to proceed & I don't envy you the decision ~~~ it's a tough one.

Yes, I would love an official diagnosis if he does have celiac. It would be better for school and it would make it easier for our family to accept it. If I were to make my son gluten free without a diagnosis I can guarantee my parents and my inlaws would disregard it. Oh well...

(sorry!  it should be still there, just out of sequence because there were other replies after that one)  

No worries!