What does blood in the stool mean?

Blood in my stool im curious what this could mean?

• Over the past year here and there i have had bright red blood in my stool, it comes and goes, and doesnt happen all the time. Today when i came home from work, i got a pain in my lower stomach and i went to go to the bathroom, I had a hard time pushing the stool out, and it was VERY painful. When i was done i looked in the toilet, and my stool has huge blood clots in them. What could this mean? What could be the causes of this? and How serious could this be? Ive also been very tired lately like over the past year has gotten worse than normal, I feel like i just have no energy to do anything and feeling like all i want to do is sleep. Also been having back pain and not in just my lower back but all threw my back but more painful in my lower back. Just wondering if all these things could be caused by one thing or if it could be more than one thing. Please help!

• Answer:

  Blood in the stool COULD signal a life-threatening condition such as cancer. Most of the time it doesn't. Most of the time it is nothing more serious than a hemorrhoid. If you are constipated and have a hemorrhoid, it is more likely to bleed too. However, especially since you have other health concerns, it would be wise to see a doctor. Doctors are always VERY concerned when there is blood in the stool. That in itself tells you that this is nothing to ignore.