In my opinion a 1/2 TSP would not be enough. I would try using the recommended dose 1-2 times a day and drink plenty of water throughout the rest of the day. I find 64 ounce of water at a minimum is good.

Thank You

Just keep experimenting with combinations.  I also find that L-glutamine helps rebuild the intestinal lining and make it more resilient, but I take a very small amount because I'm still experimenting.  I find that organic psyllium husk powder works better than any sort of mixture, like metamucil, which is mostly psyllium anyway.  I found a stark difference between the non-organic and organic, which was surprising.

Also being really mindful while pooping and making sure not to hurry and push or strain can be very challenging.  I usually use a combination of mindfully relaxing the sphincter while using my hands to squeeze my pouch like a tube of toothpaste in between the hands and sacrum.  It really helps me not make things worse when there is painful hemorrhoid/fissures type stuff going on.

Thank You So Much! 

Eric,

It's funny, I have asked this group if anyone else squeezes their pouch like a tube of toothpaste (or a tube of anything!) and nobody else copped to it.  I think I read recently about one doctor recommending something like this, a Dr. Shen, who is highly regarded by some members of this group.  I have been doing that pretty much since I got the pouch in 2004, mostly because I didn't have time to wait for the poop to simply drop out of me-especially at work.  School teachers barely have time for "normal" bodily functions!  The small intestine doesn't have the same kind of muscular action to do its own squeezing, so I figured I needed to make up for that.  Not all movements require this, but I find that usually to feel completely emptied, at least for the moment, the manual technique is superior.  If your pouch is new, I'd go easy, just experiment and be gentle.  I don't think I was as brutish at all when I started, but I don't remember it very well because I was extremely doped up with prescription meds for the time following the colon removal.

Sara

I went many years not taking anything, and i had a lot of accidents and butt burn.  Forced me to find a solution.  I take 2 heaping teaspoons in roughly a 1/4 cup of water every morning before coffee or breakfast.   I supplement with 2 to 4 metamucil caplets every time I eat or drink anything except water, throughout the day.  In the morning and an hour before bed, i take immodium.  Result is no butt burn, poops that feel normalish but soft, and sleep through the night most nights.  I still have some mild leakage at night, so might take 2 at night to see what happens. The orange smooth with real sugar tastes the best in my opinion, i tried all types.  If you find you get gassy, you can add a gasex or get the immodium that also reduces gas, works well.