Rectal Bleeding

Gerald Whitfield is a 65-year-old male presenting with painless rectal bleeding for 6 weeks with unintentional 15-pound weight loss over 3 months. I first noticed blood in the toilet about six weeks ago after a bowel movement. At first I thought it was just hemorrhoids because I've had those on and off for years. But this looks different - the blood is darker, more of a maroon color, and it's actually mixed in with the stool, not just on the toilet paper. Your task is to take a focused history from this patient.