SunshineHope wrote: but my doctor was saying that the chances of me healing naturally (e.g. with diltiazem, miralax, good eating habits, soaking) are low if I've had the fissure for this long (7-8 months). Is that true? Can I still heal?
About the skin tags, is it even possible for them to completely dissappear with the use of vitamin e, aloe vera, etc.? Or will they still remain there always? I really don't want these two things pestering my ass forever... They look really peculiar and get so irritated!

Yes, you CAN still heal "naturally", but the probability diminishes with a chronic fissure. I had mine for nearly a year and it IS healing without surgery. Check my earlier thread for "what worked for me".
Skin tags CAN regress, but it takes a long time; the best thing is to keep them from being irritated and they wont be much of a problem. Under the circumstances, pain relief and healing should be much more important than how peculiar they appear.
I am a physician and I am infuriated that it would take a year for ANY medical procedure that could help a patient. We have ridiculous health care costs here in the USA, but I am still proud that people can get treated in a reasonable amount of time over here!
Best of luck to you!

I've been thinking about this post.

First reaction: Sounds like Kaiser here in the US. I had a rather sever abscess because of the fissure, and rather than operate and drain it immediately like they are supposed to, the Drs made me wait 2 mos, and put me on super-mega- duper-antibiotics so that I would not go septic in the meantime. But I still got sicker and sicker, until they actually drained the abscess....

Second Reaction: maybe a year will give you a chance to heal and you won't need the surgery after all.

Third Reaction: I'd get the Botox. (I got botoxed a month ago and have had a good experience with it. Fissure pain is gone for the first time in 1 1/2 years. knock on wood and yippee!) It may work for you too and, if not, it wears off in 3-6 mos and you can still get the surgery later. I would pay more than $400 to be Botoxed again if necessary.

SH, I thought it sounded like you were actually healing. Sorry to hear you're going through all of this.
Botox might be worth a shot. And at least you'll know you've tried everything before getting LIS. $400 probably won't seem like a lot to you 10yrs from now.
From Gareth's account and docray's account and the accounts of others, I do think it's possible to heal on your own. Although, it's not possible for everyone. Everyone's fissure is different and everyone's body is different. A year, though, will give you more chance to heal naturally, and if it doesn't, you'll rest easy knowing you absolutely need surgery. I wouldn't rush out to find a doctor with a clear calendar...if you do look for another doctor be sure to ask how many times they've performed LIS in the past and with what results.
And regarding the Canadian healthcare system...I would gladly wait a year for surgery for a non-life-threatening condition if it meant a dear friend of mine could receive basic medical attention for a serious kidney condition, instead of being denied coverage by every single healthcare provider.
That said, I do think Canada's system needs improvement. It's not the best example of Universal Healthcare. It's sort of like pointing to Afghanistan as an example of democracy...well, maybe not that bad.

Thank you all for your replies and expertise. Gareth, you are very right about that. I did think I could heal this naturally, I just lost patience somewhere in between when anytime I would start healing, the itch became so overwhelming that I'd have to stop using the medicine. I don't know, maybe because I have Gold Bond now I can go back into my routine of aloe vera, diltiazem, soaking, and so on. & I guess I can try the Vicks vaporub on the skin tags when it gets really bad
I thought the same thing - perhaps there is a reason why I've been given a year to wait. I never wanted surgery but I just got really sick of dealing with my fissures that never seem to go away.
About the skintag, to docray and whoever else mentioned it, it's not really the look that bothers me, it's not like I'm a butt model... It's just that I have two skin tags so literally when you look at my anus with a mirror or whatever, you can't see the anus. There's one skin tag in the front (like really close to my ... yeah.) and the other one is in the back of the anus, so my anus is barely even visible. It just seems/feels so unhealthy to have it there, and to imagine it'll always be there, and will always have the potential of flaring up again (I'm guessing this based on other people who've healed naturally but still have skin tag issues). At times, the skin tags have caused me more irritation than the fissures!!
I don't CARE about fissure pain anymore..... I've been dealing with painful BMs since I was little, on and off, and I really don't care about the pain. Infact, I sometimes enjoy pain because it reminds me that I'm still alive (yeah this sounds weird, I know). One of the biggest things that bothered me about this whole ordeal though is the irritated skin tags and how they act up and itch as if I've got 2 mosquito bites down there.
Anyhow people, I'm going to keep on trying... Maybe I can or will just have to heal this myself.. Yes, I suppose I can. Thank you all,
xo

Keep at Sunshine!
Gareth's reco on the vaporub has worked for me, so I say to absolutely try it out.