Diet - FODMAP? Gluten free? Which do I choose?

I suggest you try FODMAP. And if it doesn't work than try going gluten free. High fiber also triggers me. I've tried going gluten free and it didn't help. I'm trying a low carb diet right now (3d day of Atkins) and apart of being a bit dizzy because of "low carb flu" my digestion seems to work more properly already, but I guess it's still early to say. However, I woke up for the first time today without abdominal cramps and didn't have to run to the toilet.

No problem, unfortunately I know exactly how you feel. Just a tip, I found that black and green tea have a lot of caffeine, so maybe try something more mild like mint or camomile. I really hope you'll get better with FODMAP diet. I'm also getting a bit tired of trying every single diet there is. Make sure you let us know how you're doing.

Low FODMAPS includes avoiding gluten/wheat/rye as they are Fructans. Stanford Universtiy has a good printout on Low FODMAPS.

http://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/dam/SHC/for-patients-component/programs-services/clinical-nutrition-services/docs/pdf-lowfodmapdiet.pdf

For me, the Low FODMAPs diet was a life saver! I still eat gluten, find that it doesn't bother me significantly, but a big bowl of bean soup, some stir-fry with green peppers, onions garlic & mushrooms....DEADLY! Yeah, all the so-called healthy foods! Apples, peaches, pears, cherries--forget it! But it works, I can either enjoy these foods and suffer horrendously about 16-18 hrs later, or give up these great foods I've always loved and feel GREAT! One thing to be careful of...they are cumulative in your GI tract. You may be able to eat a small quantity of that bean soup, or a few apple slices, or maybe a couple of mushrooms and feel no pain...but please don't eat them in the same meal, or even on the same day. They all add up. Low FODMAPs is definitely worth a try. It has really put a stop to my IBS. I've been on it for 5 years. I am not "healed" because I can still get a really bad attack if I eat the wrong foods. I have learned how to handle it through diet. BTW, for me, the usual "No caffeine, no alcohol, no fats, no spicy foods"--ridiculous! This advice did not help a bit. Really offensive: "It's caused by stress" NO IT ISN'T. It's caused by not being able to digest something you have eaten!

All I can tell you is that IT WORKS. But be very careful when trying to add high FODMAP foods back in. I pretty much stick to it religiously. I don't find dairy too bad in small quantities, and gluten doesn't seem to bother me at all. But you have to learn to read labels and be especially careful when dining out. I ordered cranberry juice recently at a restaurant and then had an attack the next day (it takes about 18 hrs to get the full effect of what you ate). I know I can drink cranberry juice with no ill effects. However, what was labeled cranberry juice at the restaurant was actually mostly apple juice. I was furious at the restaurant but found out that the labeling on foods can be misleading. It was 100% natural juice so the server thought that meant cranberry juice. I had to call the manufacturer to find out what was really in it. If I had known, I never would have ordered it. So I am still learning!

I did it totally on my own. I have the Low FODMAP IBS Diet app on my phone by Dr. W. Travis Dierenfeldt. I think it was either free or $1.00 and is very easy to use and gets updated. its list differs a little from the Monash University list & Patsy Catsos. I have the list pretty much memorized by now, though. The worst part is that pre-IBS, I always ate the "healthy" foods, and now they are the ones that make me sick! Beans, cauliflower, a lot of fruit--all the high-fiber stuff--mushrooms, onions, garlic--so difficult to give that all up. Also take probiotics (for good GI bacteria) and Citrucel (for fiber) every day. Good luck!