When I finally had an in-office discussion about my defecography results—which showed pelvic floor had functioned OK but my pouch had not completely emptied—my GI told me to try a bisacodyl suppository or a warm water enema before bed to see if that would help me sleep through the night. It did not. In fact, I had several urgent wake-up calls and worse sleep. The warm water enema was somewhat better but still not the solution.
I’m now on Canasa generic long term. The occasional bleeding and most of the anal pain has stopped. I’ve also had success switching from Citrucel to pure psyllium powder. I haven’t used pure psyllium in a few years as it always made me somewhat constipated even when I cut the dose in half. This time, I started with a quarter teaspoon and have gradually added a little more. By doing so I’ve had pretty good results—less burning and fewer bm’s. Still not where I want to be, but better. I’m also much more attuned to how my pouch feels—I haven’t always been able to tell if it was fully empty or not. Sometimes it’s gas, or gas that feels like it’s blocking stool from exiting. If I can pass the gas, more stool usually follows. The downside is sitting on the toilet longer than usual. My doctor still thinks my issues are probably related to PF dysfunction. That said, the Mayo program sounds interesting. I too would like to hear what coloradoguy says about it.
