Hey guys,

My question is: when did you guys stop miralax after LIS surgery? Did you wean off of it, and if so, over how much time? did you end up retearing once you stopped?

It has been 10 weeks since my LIS surgery, and things are going ok, I think. I was on vacation two weeks ago and brought my Miralax along with me. However, after eating foods that I'm not used to, a lot of time in the hot sun, and traveling in general, I had the slightest retear. I actually didn't feel it, but felt a slight sting when I wiped. It resolved within two days, so hopefully that's good news. Though, not gonna lie, it really put me in intense panic mode. I'm still scared everyday and still don't feel 100% normal despite the pain being gone if that makes sense.

After that incident, I'm REALLY scared to stop Miralax. Every time I've stopped before the surgery, I retore within two weeks despite watching my diet. I'm eating a high-fiber diet and drinking plenty of water. Can someone please please offer any insight and let me know when you stopped taking Miralax?

Currently taking half dose still, and would really love to stop taking it. I know people say it's not habit-forming, but I still worry about putting something unnatural in my body on a daily basis.

Does anyone also have a sentinel pile that still bothers them after surgery?

Thanks always.

Hi may I ask why you tore in the first place. If you were having difficulty before the fissure passing stool and tore because of that or because it was too hard then you had a problem before you even took the miralax. Miralax is an osmotic laxative, (stool softener). It works by drawing water into the colon to keep the stool soft and easy to pass. It's not a stimulant laxative and is not habit forming. It's safe to use daily if you need to keep your stool soft. I had LIS and bilateral advancement flaps and I will be using miralax once a day for the rest of my life. You can adjust your dose up or down as needed. Sometimes fiber just isn't enough. If you retear every time you stop taking it maybe your body is trying to tell you something. Something to think about tearing and healing and retearing causes scar tissue. That can cause a whole host of problems. I know because that's what happened to me. Best of Luck Suzy.

Hi. I hope your recovery continues well. My doctor advised me to get off Miralax a couple months after surgery. I gradually cut down the doses and eventually stopped all together. One thing I might suggest is to pay careful attention to what you eat (and chew everything thoroughly). I know that certain foods - bread and cheese - as well as heavy red wine (cabernet sauvignon, merlot) - will make my stools harder to pass. Also, I take psullium every day - an absolute must. I have had some stools that I would characterize as firm (and I do try to avoid those), but nothing that caused a re-tear. If I have a firm stool, I try to figure out what caused it.