I tend to stick with the same GP now, but even he isn't all that clued up about fissures, as you say, they think of them as hemmies on steroids LOL, it's only after a couple of years complaining that it's actually hit home with him, this shouldn't be the case though, what do they go to med school for
What I think it is with bum issues, not many people will go to their GP's about the pain etc because of embarrassment, and in turn the GP doesn't need to study up on many rectal issues such as hemmies and fissures, the latter being the least studied, in my opinion anyway, here in the UK we have a television programme called embarrassing bodies>
http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/this programme helps people to come forward with illnesses and pains that they are too embarrassed to go to their GP about, they actually descend upon a town or city and set up a clinic then invite members of the public to seek help with intimate problems which are then filmed and shown on TV, for instance, last week it showed a guy with severe fistulas then the operation (fistulotomy) was shown, graphic as it was, it was very interesting, another guy had hemmies like plums!! and the op was shown (HALO) which is relatively new but totally cured him with next to no pain.