First, I would like to say what a lifesaver your site has been to me. In the last two years I have found answers to my many questions and have drawn strength from the overwhelming compassion and care I have seen from all of you. I wanted to share a recommendation that my colorectal surgeon recently gave me when I was in his office due to a thrombosed hemmorhoid. He suggested using Konsyl, a fiber supplement. He said it's not as easy to find as metamucil etc. but I did find it at my local CVS pharmacy. It has made a tremendous difference for me in the frequency and also the consistency of my bowel movements. I just wanted to share my positive experience with this with everyone and am curious if anyone else has used this with success.

Just to let you know, Konsyl has the same fiber in it as Metamucil, psyllium husk. The main difference is that it does not contain any sweeteners, natural or artificial (if you get the plain). If you get the flavored, it does have sugar.

So, if you are sensitive to psyllium, this is not a substitute, such as Citrucel (which is methylcellulose).

Sometimes, taking different brands or even different formulations within a brand can make a difference.

Thanks for posting and I'm glad you have found something that works for you.

Jan

Thank you Jan for the explanation on this. I do use the plain variety of Konsyl and the absence of sweeteners must have made the difference. The metamucil I had taken prior was not quite as effective for me. I do agree with you that we are all so different that sometimes we just have to keep experimenting with different brands etc. until we find what works. Thanks again.

My surgeon also recommending Konsyl as it is a higher fiber fiber supplement. It has 6 gm of psyllium in it, Metamucil wafers have 3.4 gms in 2 wafers and the Metamucil caps have 0.52 gms per cap-not sure how much psyllium is in the Metamucil powder. I also have tried the no sugar variety-didn't know there was a flavored form. I thought it was hard to get down as it was so thick but it did work. I haven't gotten the right dosage/type of fiber for me figured out yet but can't wait for that day! White dove-how often are you taking the Konsyl?

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My surgeon also recommending Konsyl as it is a higher fiber fiber supplement. It has 6 gm of psyllium in it, Metamucil wafers have 3.4 gms in 2 wafers

Actually, I'm looking at a box of Metamucil wafers right now and the info on the side panel states that it, too, has 6g of fiber per 2 wafer serving. In fact, I'll quote the passage:

"A great tasting, easy way to increase your daily fiber intake. Each adult serving of Metamucil fiber wafers provides 6 grams of 100% natural fiber." It then notes that a serving size is two wafers.

I don't know which product is better, but both Konsil and Metamucil apparently have the same amount of fiber.

Scott

You are right MMOB about the fiber content-but in my post I was referring to the Psyllium content which is shown under active ingredient not the dietary or soluble fiber content. Interestingly-although the psyllium content is higher in Konsyl at 6 grams-the dietary fiber is 5 g and soluble fiber 3 g and metamucil wafers have only 3.4 g psyllium per two and have more dietary fiber than Konsyl at 6 gr and 3 g of soluble fiber. Anyone know why that is?

To answer your question on how often I take the Konsyl, at first I only took a one teaspoon serving mixed with water a day because I wasn't sure how much was enough. It was not enough fiber for me so now I take a one teaspoon dose early in the day and another one teaspoon dose in the afternoon and it has really helped slow things down. I will probably stay with this for awhile and then maybe increase it if necessary. My situation differs from alot of yours because I had a toxic megacolon from a C-Diff infection resulting in a colectomy and subsequent reconstructive surgery in which they salvaged half my rectum and connected my small intestine to it. We have common problems but I do not have the issues you do relating to the j pouch. Unfortunately because of the increase in antibiotic resistant C-Diff there may be more people like me posting on the website. Thank you everyone for your input.

Hi White Dove..While I didn't have the toxic mega colon thing I did suffer from necrotic bowel, so the two of us were healthy folks initially. Did you lose enough bowel that they considered you with a bit of Sort Bowel Syndrome? I am told that I am borderline in that dept do that I suffer from chronic diahrea.
I have learned to live with this without having to use fiber supplements( 6yrs since pouch surgery). I figure I take enough medications as it is and I really don't want to start drinking finely chopped cardboard( ).
Any how I was just wondering...
Julie

Hi Julie1, I am sure there are others out there like us that where healthy all along and then blind sided by a serious illness and it is comforting to know that we are not alone. I do not have Short Bowel Syndrome. Loose stools are a problem for me and if they occur too often I get a thrombosed hemorrhoid which is extremely painful so I have no choice but to experiment with the fiber. Because of the possible presence of the C Diff in my digestive tract I do not take immodium or any other anti-diarrheal. I agree the fiber is not the most appealing substance but I've gotten used to it. Thank you for sharing your story with me, it really helps to know others have gone through similiar situations.

Because there are many reasons to take fiber, I think we all should identify why we are taking a fiber supplement, as did the thread starter, to maximize the usefulness of this thread. In the early days of my J Pouch, I was urged to take metamucil as a thickening agent. I found that metamucil did not really thicken me up much, but dramatically increased my output and frequency. As did Citrucel. I then found that imodium thickened me up while simultaneously reducing my frequency and output. So I have not taken a fiber supplement in a long time. I eat a diet that has a lot of natural fiber - cereals and fresh fruits. Can someone posit to me a reason why I should take a fiber supplement if I am eating a diet with more than adequate natural fiber? Will it help my pouchitis? Thanks.

Well, I don't know about everyone needing fiber supplements. I did hear on the radio by Dr. Dean Edell say that the way to know whether you are getting enough fiber is by what your stool does in the toilet...If it floats you are getting enough fiber, if it sinks, you need to bulk up. Now, how to tell something like that when someone suffers from chronic lose stools I dunno...
While I do suffer from chronic diahrea I don't have urgency problems and I very rarely leak, and if I do leak it's usually my own darn fault be eating too late. As far as I know I have only had one case of pouchitis and that was during my first couple of months post op(6 yrs ago). Usually once a week or so I will need to use my Ilex from too much production or high amount of acid.
Don't ya just love this conversation?? "Normal" folks would be going ga ga by now!!! LOL

Julie

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I did hear on the radio by Dr. Dean Edell say that the way to know whether you are getting enough fiber is by what your stool does in the toilet...If it floats you are getting enough fiber, if it sinks, you need to bulk up

That's an interesting theory, because sometimes mine floats and sometimes it sinks, but usually the latter. But was Dr. Edell specifically talking to and about J Pouch patients, or was he talking about those with colons and healthy digestive tracts? Because I think the applicability of such a "rule" may be different for us J Pouchers.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DJBHusky,

Well, that's what I mean...How does a poucher be able to tell??? What the doc said was meant to be in general.
Since I'm not sure what the "quality" of other pouchers BM's, I can only say things about my own. I don't think I would want to get involved with a study of the quality of J-pouchers' BMs

Julie