I think this is very individual. I tend to hold it until I'm about to burst (probably not smart) but many times I just want to be in the privacy of my own bathroom and not at work or at a friend's house, ect. I usually don't have to push or strain. It just comes out and I don't spend any extra time waiting around for more to come out. There are times when certain foods make my output thicker and then I may have to strain a bit.

1. i dont always wait until i have to go, but i am still trying to get a decent picture of how many times i go in a 24 hour period, so im counting still, therefore i will wait until a small amount of discomfort/distraction kicks in before i go sit down. if i know im going out for the night, or to a friends house, or a bar, or a concert, etc......then ill sit there.

2. for me just sitting normal seems to work fine...after the initial push or release, sometimes i will lean to teh right, and/or twist my torso to the left while lifting my left cheek up, and it will allow a gas bubble to push another round of stuff out. (seems strange i know, but i only discovered this because i use a hand held portable bidet and have to lift my left cheek to get the bottle down in there, and noticed it was releasing mre gas).....i also sometimes stand up for like 4 or 5 seconds and sit back down, and sometiems this allows more stuff to come out......lastly, if i also have to pee, i try and BEFORE PEEING get the first release out, THEN start peeing. almost always, after i have emptied my bladder, more stuff wants to come out of my butt.

3. i dont really push at all, except as i feel the first "burst" if you want to call it that coming to an end, i push a little bit, just because the butt hole starts to tighten up.

4. it depends on what else im doing in the day or where i am.....sometimes i still sit on there for 10-15 minutes just to let gravity do some more work.

ps i am 8 months post takedown if that matters for you to hear it.

If I'm home and planning to go somewhere, I visit the throne before leaving the house in order to empty my pouch. Otherwise, when I feel the urge "to go", I usually make it a point to visit the throne when I can get away and find one. Fortunately, I never really experience urgency and have plenty of time to find a throne! I'm 10+ years post takedown.

I am five months post take-down and do not do anything special. I think it is very important to listen to your body and obey what it tells you. Control will develop naturally as your pouch matures. Rectal muscle exercises are important to increasing continence but should never be done when you have a full pouch.

Its been 8 years since my takedown and still when I gotta go I gotta go. It doesnt care where I'm at. But I do usually do try to go before I go anywhere. And I avoid situations where i wouldnt be comfortable using the bathroom. I mostly hate when you go to someones house for the first time. And there like " oh ya, our bathroom is right there off the kitchen"!! Thats the worst.

I try to hold it in as much as I can and I have been post takedown since 1994. I try to realase as much as I can but not to force it out because that cretes more problems with my butt that stings.

Only a little gas comes out and I feel I have so much more. The only way to get the gas out for me is I have to bend over so my cheeks are completely off the toilet and then much more gas will pass out. Not a little more, but much more.

The only problem with this method is it creates a big mess on the lid and tank of the toilet which is gross so I have to always clean it after every bowel movement. But if I do not do this, then no sooner then I am done, I have to use the bathroom again or I will still feel miserable and uncomfortable.

Rocket

After my surgeries, I was told to hold it as long as I could in order to stretch the pouch. But if I'm away from home, I don't do that.

I just sit in normal position to empty. I know I'm done when I pass gas.

How much I push varies depending on the thickness of the stool. I do not think it is good for the pouch to strain, so I do not take a lot of stuff for thickening. I prefer looser stools over straining and my stools per day are average (got my pouch in '04).

I stay on toilet until I pass gas. If I don't, I'll be back within a few minutes.

I'm very fortunate that I have no continence/incontinence problems and I also work at home. Good luck to you. It took me a long time to get to where I am now, but it just seems normal to me now. I mean I'm going to be in the b-room 6-8 times a day to pee anyway. Just remember that the process is slow. I am 57 tomorrow and have (for the most part) plenty of energy and lead a normal life. Happy Holidays!