The topic at hand is about understanding whether the size of a stoma is normal after surgery. A person who recently had ileostomy revision surgery is curious if their stoma's smaller size is typical. Here are some insights and advice shared by others:

- The stoma, affectionately called "George," is working well, and the main concern is its seemingly small size.

- People with ileostomies have reported a range of stoma sizes, from 3/4-inch to over an inch, with some describing sizes as small as a dime or larger than a golf ball, depending on activity.

- For those with a urostomy made from the small bowel, sizes can be oval, like 13/16 inches by 1/2 inch.

- One person mentioned their stoma was 1.4 inches and wondered if that was unusually large.

- It's normal for stomas to change size and shape throughout the day as they pass output. After surgery, stomas often shrink over time. For example, one person's stoma reduced from 1 ¼ inches right after surgery to 3/4 inches four years later.

- Stoma size is not influenced by gender; it doesn't matter if the patient is male or female.

- For fitting appliances, a 3/4-inch stoma can be used with a 1-inch cut-to-fit wafer, and barrier rings will adjust to fill any gaps. Many manufacturers offer cut-to-fit wafers starting at 1.25 inches, suggesting that sizes up to 1.4 inches are common.

- If the stoma continues to shrink significantly or if it becomes difficult to manage pouching, it's a good idea to reach out to a surgeon or a WOC (ostomy) nurse. Otherwise, as long as the stoma is functioning well and the skin is protected, variations in size are usually not a concern.