Why would he lose a lot of blood...rectal bleeding? what are some things that would cause my 68 years old dad to be going to the bathroom one moment and then be in the icu from losing a lot of blood? he said that he had a lot of blood lost due to his rect

Hello. : Hello. I am sorry to hear about your dad. It is clear that you are really worried about him. If he is a chronic, heavy drinker that can be a risk factor for gastrointestinal bleeding. There are many areas that a person can bleed from: esophagus (rupture or erosions), stomach (ulcers or gastritis), as well as the small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus (like hemmhroids). He could even have problems with his bleeding times from alcohol. Normally, the doctors will need to do studies to determine the cause of the bleeding. They may not have an answer right away, but would stabilize him in the meantime. Take care.