Very Scared... Anal Cancer Questions

Hey All,
I will try and give as much detail as possible.  I am a 32 year old, heterosexual male. I don't normally do this, I am not a hypochondriac. But a series of symptoms is starting to come together in a very scary direction. I have been to see my doctors 3 times now and tests are ongoing to determine the cause of the swelling of three lymph nodes in my right groin area. Something that until recent tests for the obvious were returned negative, didn't concern me very much.

What concerns me now is the remaining possibilities. I have taken a few more blood and swab tests for STI's which I'm sure will come back negative... I haven't had unprotected sex in over a year and a half. What I have had is problems with the backside.

About 3 years ago my stools started to become flattened out. I immediately sought medical attention. The combination of flattened stool and blood (I have had hemorrhoids since I was 18) were enough to make me seek a medical opinion. The doctor wrote it off as pretty much normal. The flat stool persisted however and I had a colonoscopy done about 2 years ago which came back all good. The doctor found 4 hemorrhoids that he treated and he told me to come back in 10 years.

However, my symptoms have persisted. My stool hasn't gotten flatter per se... It has however become more irratic. It's rarely completely round, It is most often oval in shape, but size and shape varies from bowel movement to bowel movement. It is sometimes ribbon or pencil thin. Sometimes I go once a day, sometimes six times. But the average is usually 2-3.

I also feel pressure when I'm trying to evacuate a larger bowel movement... The hemerrhoidal bleeding and pain occurs at about the same rate and length of time it always has since I was 18. Not much has changed there. But I have had another flare up in the last couple of weeks, after a solid 2 months of no serious issues.

About four months ago, a lymph node in my groin swelled up. I didn't think much of it at first... but when it didn't go away, I went to see the doctor. It was painless and not too big, so the doc ran a few tests which all came back clear, no infection and my white blood cell count was good... She didn't see a reason for me to come back.

About a week or two after the test results came back, two more lymph nodes swelled up directly above the first one. It seems that the original one that flared up has gone down somewhat since then, but it is still palpable. I had about 2 weeks of random groin pain on both sides at the same time as this second inflammation. Not horrible pain, but it was there, and it radiated from my testicles to my lower abdomen. I could also feel pain between my legs at times. I have had more tests done; the afformentioned STI tests, and another blood test.

After my last visit I kind of put two and two together... Perhaps my rear end issues and these swollen lymphnodes are connected. I hadn't mentioned this to my Doc because I didn't make the connection.... Neither did she! I also have HPV, I had a wart about 5 years ago that was removed. But I've also had an ex girlfriend that had an irregular pap smear that was cancerous. I didn't find this out until after the fact. I have since spoken to my Doc on the phone and informed her of these thoughts, but she wants to wait til the last batch of tests come back before running more.

I have also had weight loss issues which I had addressed with my doc on a seperate occasion. Last year I lost a lot of weight (25 lbs) for no real reason. Tests were done and nothing showed up. She chalked it up to recent lifestyle changes I had made. I put back on most of the weight and have stayed at pretty much the same since. Although I seem to have difficulty gaining weight... My appetite is good, but I seem to crave more sweets lately.

Also of note, I had an inflammed lymph node in my neck in the last year that persisted for about 4 months.  I went in for a bunch of tests for that also, which all came back negative, and the swelling went away. I have had no other issues with nodes until now.

I have done a lot of research with regards to all the symptoms I have and all of them point to one thing... BAD stuff. My Doc has informed me that we are getting to testing for that bad stuff next... BUT, I have to wait 8 days for the last results and another 8-10 for the next results.

I am losing my mind and I am terrified...

My questions are as follows...
1) Would anal cancer be detected during a colonoscopy, which to my understanding checks the rectum and the colon.. Is the anus part of this exam?
2) How often do symptoms have to reoccur before they are considered pathological and and can be considered symptoms for anal cancer? Should they be more persistent or frequent than I have been experiencing?
3) I know in the case of rectal or colon cancer, stool shape remains quite consistent, in that it gets narrower and narrower as the tumor grows. Is this also the case with anal cancer, or does the nature and position of anal cancer lend to frequent changes in size and shape of stool?
4) What other conditions present similar symptoms? Do I have real cause for concern yet, or am I just freaking out for nothing?

I realize that this is a difficult subject, but If anyone has shared similar experiences, or knows anything about this stuff and can help put my mind at ease a bit; anything that will help me get a little sleep tonight... Please pass it along.

Thanks in Advance,
G.