Using Metamusal 1/2 tsp at a time. the difference between liquid stool and hard to pass seems random
I was advised by my nutritionist to add ground Flax and ground Chia to my morning smoothie which is yogurt based with some fruit and vegetables.
What do folks to to Strike the right balance?
Liquid is bad because I’m going all the time but when it feels like you’re shutting down and have trouble squeezing out poop is just as bad. I tend to have a Kates farm shake with fiber before bedtime
Eric
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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.