So about 4 weeks ago I had the first anal fissure I am aware of and it may seem off but I knew as I was using the mens room that it had happened. I am confused about these things big time, I saw my GP and he said these are very common and very painful and prescribed a cream as well as fiber supplements. He also told me I had a skin tag or sentinel guardian which meant I had these before and probably confused them with hemmoroids.
It took about 2 weeks for this to heal maybe 3. Then about a week ago low and behold another movement and I felt it again, this time in a new spot. This was about 4 days ago. So I called my doc and he told me fissures can and do come back repeatedly and not always in the same spot (google told me the same thing). I was told to keep an eye on it and let him know if it got infected.
Now for the last 4 days I have had to bend at the waist using a floor to ceiling mirror and look between my legs and now as of 2 days ago I have 2 more so of course I told my doctor about it and he asked me how many times a day I was checking on the first one and I said like 20 times, I don't want to risk an infection.
At this point he got angry with me and said are you pulling and spreading the area open each time to get a good look I said of course I am! His reply, "You gave yourself the other two; the skin around there is elastic but if your pulling and stretching it 20 times a day your going to cut or tear yourself in a new area". He also said fingernails can do this as well as I am apply the medicine.
This doc tells me to do one thing, granted I wen overboard but at the age of 40 I want to be careful and then he tells me I gave my self the other 2 new ones with all the pulling stretching etc I was doing.
Does this sound right to you all and more importantly is it normal for these things to keep coming back and hurt this damn much?
I need some help im going insane here.

Hi, and welcome!
I'm so sorry you're dealing with the pain of fissures. Yes, they are that incredibly painful, unfortunately, and yes, they do come back frequently, and yes, your doctor is totally spot on that you probably gave yourself more fissures by stretching and looking down there. The best thing to do is to keep your stools soft, regular and easy to pass. Be careful when cleaning up after BMs. Best not to use dry toilet paper but to either use moistened toilet paper, baby wipes, or water in the shower. Sitz baths can really help with the pain and help promote healing. Using Vaseline before a bowel movement can help to protect the area from further irritation.
This forum is full of great advice on fissure care, so browse around a bit. If you aren't seeing improvement with conservative measures in about two to three weeks, you could also ask your doctor for a prescription medication that needs to be compounded by a compounding pharmacist that will help reduce tension in the sphincter muscle and increase blood flow to the area and promote healing. These topicals include either nitroglycerin, nifedipine or diltiazem. If your current doctor is not familiar with these treatments, and your fissures aren't healing after several weeks you will want to see a colorectal specialist (colorectal surgeon) who can help you further in dealing with your fissures.
We all understand the insanity. You've come to the right place.

Another question for you since you seem so knowledgeable. My doctor said I had external hemeroids as well.I was under the impression those were lumps around the anus.
He said they are not always lumps; he told me in a circle around the anus just under the skin are veins everywhere. He said those veins will appear to be a blueish purple just under the surface of the skin and that those are also hemmeroids and quite normal he said the lumps only appear if they are thrombosed (not sure on spelling). He further mentioned that External Hemeroids, skin tags, and anal fissures go hand in hand together.
When I looked at my anus that many times I noticed that blueish purple color under the skin but no lumps. I know I am second guessing my doc here but I am just really worried and would like additional reassurance that all is well.
Also I had a full colonoscopy 5-6 years ago as well as the random cancer biopsy. No polyps no cancer and he said my walls were glistening (he seemed really happy about that) and that my gp was right I had a couple internal hemeroids as well. He diagnosed with with IBS and a case of diverticulitis. I have noticed since the fissures started occurring my lower guts (below the belly button) has been sensitive to pressure and I constantly feel like I need to have a BM but I do not.
Sorry for rambling.

Hemorrhoids and fissures and skin tags do go hand in hand, unfortunately. What your doctor says doesn't sound unreasonable when it comes to the external hemorrhoids. You may just have very mild swelling in those external veins that another doctor might not even necessarily point out as hemorrhoids. Mostly the same things that help hemorrhoids are also helpful for fissures. The feeling like you have to have a BM is not at all uncommon with anorectal problems. The muscles are carrying tension and the internal sphincter will often spasm, which can give you a feeling like you need to have a BM, even if there isn't anything there. Swollen internal hemorrhoids can do that too.
Keeping stools soft and avoiding constipation and straining are the biggest key factors, with supportive conservative care from baths, ointments, hygiene, and also stress reduction in whatever way you can find to do that, are all the best strategies for healing.
And no apologies for rambling. These are debilitating afflictions to deal with, not just physically but emotionally as well. Be gentle with yourself, in all ways.

My wife had the oddest suggestion for dealing with pain and making my BM's easier. Apparently she got these fissures/hemmie a ton when she was pregnant with our 3 children. She told me to rub Mentholatum all around the outside....it feels like a damn arctice breeze down there right now.
I am told by google the usual heal time of these tings is 6 week if they are bad and if they are minor-medium about 2-3 weeks....sound right?

Yeah, the menthol can be really relieving, if for nothing else to feel something different other than the same pain. Sounds like her suggestion has given you some relief, and anything that brings relief is something to celebrate.
Yeah, those time frames are a good starting guide. But actually, fissures can take months (yikes, sometimes years) to heal with lots of recurrences unfortunately because the area never gets a chance to rest.
If it goes longer than six weeks it is generally considered chronic, and after those six weeks it becomes up to the sufferer and the surgeon whether to consider surgery.
Getting in to a surgeon sooner rather than later is usually a good idea if things don't improve after two to three weeks because the surgeon can help you begin treatments that might help you avoid surgery.

You mentioned it could go longer and even require surgery so the obvious thing on my mind is can these thing become cancerous? I am laid off right now without access to medical coverage. So I need to know if anal fissures, hemmies etc can become cancerous or if they are just a pain in the butt. *Pardon my pun*

Fortunately, about the only good thing one can say about hemorrhoids and fissures is they don't pose a cancer risk, any more so than a person without them. They are really painful to live with, but they won't kill you (though the pain can get so bad sometimes you can wish for a permanent end to it). There is a minor risk of infection that will show up as a painful abscess, though it is pretty rare, but still it's really a good idea to practice good hygiene and clean up after BMs.

jr2,
Should you still be here and since your the only one talking to me I had a question. This whole thing is really stressing me out. I doubt its the AF's making my BM odd and watery I think it could be stress I have that constant butterfly feeling in my guts below my belly button.
Just wondering if its normal for this kind of thing to stress you out to where it can effect those things? One day there are better and I get hopeful the next day they are worse. I am at my wits end and I am a bundle of nerves.

Well, stress can definitely have a big impact on the GI tract and you do have a lot of stress going on right now. Are these GI symptoms something entirely new for you? Is there anything that makes it worse or better? Does this discomfort wake you up in the middle of the night or are you free from the symptoms while you are sleeping? Did the diarrhea and abdominal discomfort accompany any kind of change in your diet or are you using stool softeners or fiber supplements? Did the bowel symptoms coincide with the fissure? Do you have blood in your stool? Are you having increased frequency in the number of times you go in a day?
What you are experiencing is more than likely due to anxiety, but only a checkup with your doctor can tell for sure. There are people who have perianal Crohn's disease that shows up as fissures, but you would probably have had a lot of GI problems in addition to the fissures if this was the case with you. There is also always the chance that you have some kind of GI infection or parasites, but again only a doctor can screen you for this with stool testing. If it would help your anxiety it probably is worth a trip to the doctor for your peace of mind.