gahgah,
i remember being in your shoes.
i had dealt with my fissure for close to four years. thats like 48 months before i opted to just give in to LIS. i was physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything challenged by this one little thing. surgery would be the last thing on my mind too but i guess the fissure won me out.
i prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed to spare me from LIS or any kind of surgery. but at last, i just told God okay I guess you want me to do this and if this is your will, then off to the CRS to book it then.
it was at that point that things changed for me.
as long as you think you are able to live and manage the fissure, then that is your right and your choice. that's part of the beauty of this board is that you can opt to do what you need and we'll be here to support you.
you may never get to the point where you will book your LIS or maybe in time you will.
for now, if you don't want LIS and are comfortable enough to keep going, then that's okay. but just like tabby says, you may not be able to use or get prescriptions for long-term for this issue.
do you have plan B or C ready?

I guess I just do not want to take the risk because I am not in that much pain as of now. The cream is working, and it has no risk of incontinence.
I have never had any surgery in my life, so the thought of having any really freaks me out. What would LIS do that the cream wouldn't ? I guess if things change then I will consider the surgery, I really do not know what to do I guess... I am just going with the flow

I agree with Tabby on this. I did not want to take creams like nitro & nifedipine for the rest of my life. Plus, no doctor will continue to prescribe it for that long. Plus, the meds are actually pretty expensive if your going to use them long term. I also want to get pregnant again and I would not be able to use the meds while pregnant. There are so many reasons why I choose LIS over using creams forever. Basically, I prefer not to be dependent on any medication in my life if I can control it.
LIS has a much higher success rate than the creams with cronic fissures, especially with fissures that lasted 20 months like mine did. I have no regrets at all. God bless LIS!
My CRS said even though my fissure was going through periods of rehealing & retaring, my sphincter was in constant spasm and LIS was going to be my only cure after so long.
It is so liberating not to have to put medication in my butt now that I have had LIS. Now, I jump out of the shower and put on my underware ASAP instead of getting all my supplies ready to put on that darn nitro cream.
Only you will know when you are ready for LIS. For me it was simple, I came to a point in my life where I could not put it off anymore. What a blessing it has been! Good luck & I am here if you need any advise.

Hello,
I am also in the same boat as you. I have a fissure for over 1 year now and it heals and then re-opens. The doctor said it is mild and he does not want to do surgery. Every time I use the Nipedifine it heals in a few weeks and when it is time to stop the cream it re-opens. It can take over a year even if the fissure looks healed to completely heal, so re-tearing is common. I think the key after using the cream is your diet, fiber and drinking alot of water. The cream is probably not safe for long-term use or you will become immune to it. I am in the middle of healing again with the cream after a re-tear and hope to heal after stopping the cream by keeping bm's soft. Just keep your diet healthy and take fiber /water, I am dealing with the exact same thing, only time will tell.

gahgah,
me too....never had surgery ever. and i am hoping i never will either.......
even after my CRS cancelled the LIS because things were looking good, it took me a good two years to really feel back to normal.
all this month while at work, sometimes i catch myself sitting at my desk and there is nothing bothering me on my butt and then i just think i can't believe it! and try to stay in the moment of feeling so happy that there is no pain, no irritation, no distrubance, etc. going on....it's like amazing.
but of course, there was no simply way to get there......
mr. fissure and everyone else will tell you that part of the secret to success is that meticulous care on diet, fiber, water, exercise.......and to keep your sanity when at times any or all of these take you down to a re-tear or bleeding.......