Hi all -

I have had digestive problems all my life and I'm finally realizing that what I am experiencing is NOT normal. I want to go to a doctor that is very familiar with celiac disease and will know what to look for. I live in the Minneapolis/St Paul, MN area. Any help would be very much appreciated, thanks!

Oh, I wish I could help! I was diagnosed through Enterolab, not through my own doctor. Even the alt.med. dr. I see doesn't seem all that knowledgeable or up-to-date on these issues - especially non-celiac gluten intolerance, which is always the hardest to be taken seriously about. So I feel like I'm pretty much on my own. I'll be watching this thread! Hope you find someone!!

Beth

Hi! I have a little information for you. My daughter (20 y.o) just met w/ Dr. Shaukat at the Fairview Medical Center on the U of M campus, after being referred there from her primary Dr. b/c of high results on her Celiac panel of blood tests. Dr. Shaukat spent quite a bit of time w/ us discussing Celiac, the endoscopy procedure that my daughter will undergo and answering all of our questions. She took her time w/ us which was great. BUT, she explained some things in a way that is inconsistent with what I've read in books. (Altho' I am just beginning to learn about Celiac, so I'm no expert) For example: my daughter will not have to resume a gluten diet before the endo is done. (She had been gluten-free since she got the blood test results, and feels so much better. She was relieved to hear that she did not have to go back on gluten prior to the endo) But I've read that you must go back on gluten before an endo to confirm that the villi are affected. Shaukat said that you could also look for, hope I spell this right, eisoniphils, in the small intestine to check for Celiac, and not necessarily the villi. So, while I did appreciate her time with us at the office visit, I am not sure about her information....

Then I looked at the Fairview Medical Center website, and found the GI department. THere are 4 drs. there, and you can click on a bio of each one. There was one Dr., Christopher Shepela, who listed Celiac as a special interest. Shaukat has "gastroenterology" as her special interest. So Shepela might be a good person to see.

Within the last 2 months, 2 of my daughters tested high on a Celiac panel of blood tests. My younger daughter (16y.o) went to MNGI in the Pediactrics group. SHe had Dr. Arora. He is not the most "sit down and chat" type of Dr., but everything he told us was consistent with what we've read. He did her endo, just a few days ago. All went well and we are awaiting results.

So, those are the two (maybe 3) doctors I know about. Hope this helps you a bit! Take Care! CHar.