@apuakumamma, I'm sorry to hear you are doing so poorly nutritionally. I apologize for taking so long to answer; I was on a vacation.

I too am a 59-year old woman. I had my LAR on Jan 26 as a Turnbull-Cutait pullthrough, so no ostomy, and my coloanal anastomosis on Feb. 2. I lost almost 9% of my weight due to the LAR. In the period between both surgeries, my intestine got paralyzed (I think from the gas the apple juice and the Ensure were provoking) and I was on parentaral nutrition for 4 days. After the second surgery, I was one day still on parenteral nutrition, then 1 day on a liquid diet, then allowed low-residue foods limited to chicken breast, white fish filet, eggs, peeled potatoes, white rice, white bread in small quantity, corn tortilla (I live in Mexico), peeled and cooked carrots, and peeled and cooked apples and pears. Just water to drink. I stuck to eat for a week or ten days, then a clinical nutritionist I consulted told me to add the following foods one at a time over a full week: turkey, cooked asparragus, peeled and cooked chayote (mirliton), peeled, seeded and cooked zucchini, peeled green grapes, peeled and cooked peaches, peeled and cooked nectarines, bananas, Ritz crackers, olive oil, avocado, and creamy peanut butter (no salt, no sugar added). The last three are healthy fat that can help with recovering weight and are nutritious. I monitor my meals, meds, snacks, drinks and BMs with an app called My Symptoms; this is how I know that green beans slow me down, for example.

With LAR, you should avoid whole grains, red meats, pork (due to the fat content both these proteins), beans (all legumes) and dairy products. Most people with LAR can no longer eat onion, broccoli, coliflower, or salads (lettuce). They will make you very gassy and/or provoke diarrhea. Some people take protein shakes, but with caution since some of us with LAR cannot tolerate many of the sweeteners in those powders. Some find that psyllium helps them with diarrhea (when taken with little water and taking little liquids during the day) or with constipation (when taken as indicated on the box).

I've been adding more foods, respecting the one per week rule. I now eat my grapes and zucchini without peeling them. I tried lamb (red meat) and cheese rather high in fat during my vacation at my brother's (because he insisted so much), and as expected, I had a lot of bowel movements after that. But now I eat hummus (gives me a little bit of gas, but really not significant) and add garlic to my dishes for flavor.

With LARS (Low Anterior Resection Syndrome), it's really unpredictable how you will react to a specific food, and it's different from one person to the next, this is why dietitians/nutritionist can't really help us. They can only help us identify soluble fiber foods and insoluble fiber foods. We must find the balance between the two that works for us.

There are some medications that can help. Ask your doctor what's best for you. Coming out of the hospital, I was taking simeticone with trimebutine and omeprazol. After ten days, the surgeon changed me to macrogol and ondansetron, a balance between a stool softener and a med that constipates to slow down the peristalsis and reduce the severe clustering. I was able to reduce both over a month, when the surgeon said I could switch to taking 1/2 loperamide (Imodium) 30 minutes before each of my three main meals, but that was too much for me. For a few days, I took it only before breakfast and dinner, then I stopped. Now I only take 1/2 loperamide when I anticipate that some meal might affect me (like when I go to a restaurant where I won't be able to control all the ingredients), or before an important event I must attend.

Three more things that make a difference: 1) 3 small meals and 2 snacks in-between; 2) stick to a schedule as much as possible for the meals; 3) do not drink anything starting 30 minutes before eating and don't drink anything until an hour has passed after you finished eating. All this helps with the clustering.

Finally, there are FB group for people with colorectal cancer, with LAR, and with LARS, if you're interested. Just let me know and I can share the links with you.