5 days post op, and I think I will start taking a daily dose of miraLax, as I've not gone yet, and I'm really tired of pain as it is. Good idea? or no?

That's what my doctor said to do when I said I hadn't gone. I haven't used it but once. But last time I went to the doctor I weighed 5 pounds more than I had weighed just the day before. I think next time I go to be weighed in I will take Miralax a day or two ahead of time to make sure that I'm not weighing a bunch more than I actually do. I seem to get constipated when I am about to be weighed. Maybe it's a psychological thing or something, but I don't like it when I weigh 211 and I go into the doctor's office I weigh 216. I know my scale and the doctor's weigh the same so it must be what I ate and drank because I came back from the doctor, weighed 216 but the next morning I weighed 211 again.

I hear you...my scale is set with Dr. also...and the minute I came home, for grins I jumped (well not jumped really) on the scale to see how much stomach they took out and what it weighed...lol!! Heck, I was 4 lbs heavier than day of surgery...and it's only changed 1 lb up/down/up/down in last 5 days!! Do I take the miraLAX till I go? or just keep taking for "good measure" I wonder? I'm gonna wait to pull the scale back out for a couple more days...lol

My surgeon recommends Mirilax 2x daily. I've also had good results by including chia seeds or even taking old fashioned Exlax.

I only took it once at night and I went the next day. I think though I'm going to take it two days before the doctor's office and then also the next day.

Some of the increase since you came home is also due to the IV drip that you had where they kept you hydrated since you weren't drinking much liquid yet.

As far as I can determine Mirilax is not a true laxative per se. I think it is just a super hygoscopic plastic that adsorbs Water to make the stools softer. I think it was classified as a laxative as part as the manufacturers desire to sell it as a perscribed medicane at a higher price while it was under patent and soon as it came off of patent it was made an OTC medication.

Be that as it may ot appears that there is no harm at all in taking it on a daily basis for extended periods, you don't appear to grow resistant to it the way you might to traditional laxatives.

I've been using it for years, constipation has been troubling me for decades.

I hear you...my scale is set with Dr. also...and the minute I came home' date=' for grins I jumped (well not jumped really) on the scale to see how much stomach they took out and what it weighed...lol!! Heck, I was 4 lbs heavier than day of surgery...and it's only changed 1 lb up/down/up/down in last 5 days!! Do I take the miraLAX till I go? or just keep taking for "good measure" I wonder? I'm gonna wait to pull the scale back out for a couple more days...lol[/quote']

Lucky for you only 4 lb heavier. I was 20 lb heavier after being pumped with IV for 5 days and had trouble going at hospital.