Hi. I'm hoping someone here could help lead me toward a solution for something that might help to "bind" my output. I am *not* looking to harden it (quite the opposite), and I don't know if "bulking" is the right term either. I've read in many places that things like psyllium, Benefiber, etc, can help bind, but my experiences in the past with fiber have been extremely uncomfortable.
The issue is that I'm completely at my wit's end with how I feel anywhere from 3-12 hours following dinner (the only real significant eating I do all day, for various reasons). I take epsom salts to help empty my J-pouch, and they've been a life-saver, but emptying after that initial go-around is (especially lately) always extremely difficult for me. Not sure how to explain without being a bit too graphic, but basically, every little thing I've eaten seems to want to exit on its own, and each one is a misery (I've had fistulas, strictures, etc). It's always been my understanding that J-pouchers have to deal with watery output, and rarely anything resembling constipation, but constipation has basically been my life for the past 5 years.
The good news is that balsalazide seems to have been helping quite a bit in relieving the pain/pressure I've long suffered from "down there." Unfortunately, I still have the difficulty in emptying to contend with, and even my latest GI doctor--who is far beyond all the rest I've seen--just tells me to "try a little Miralax," which doesn't even begin to make a dent in my problem. He contemplated that maybe my small intestine *really* took over for my missing colon. That's nice--it's still terrible.
So, in short: what are some things I might try (preferably in pill/capsule form, honestly) that are well-known to bind things together (and softening is a huge bonus)? Thanks!
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