I started using chlorella (a type of algae and is available in tablets at health food stores) as a stool softener and it seems to be doing the job. I use
flaxseed meal instead of the psyllium fiber because I also have GERD, which is aggravated by psyllium fiber, and I can add it directly to food, instead of drinking it down with water, like Metamucil. The GI said it doesn't matter which fiber is used, as long as I use a fiber, which I was doing all along anyway.