My story is similar to yours. I have the neuropathy and had to have spine surgery but for a different reason. After total recovery I too added roughage to my diet, eat prunes every morning take psyllium every day and make sure to drink plenty of water. It is also important to be active. These steps have helped me maintain my GI system. If it does happen that I don't have a bowel movement for 3 days, I take Senokot as prescribed on the bottle. It is OTC. I hope this helps.