How big is your stoma?

Ok.... I have a question and I am hoping it is not too personal. How big is your stoma?

My GI and CRS said mine was normal...average. So for the last year or so I have thought that most people with a stoma have a cut out of 53 MM. I was originally worried that something was wrong with me... Mine is just huge. It sits on top of my tummy like the top of a mushroom. But my doctors assured me it was ok.

I recently answered another post....and was assuming their stoma was like mine...only theirs was prolapse like 3.5 inches. If mine was out 3.5 inches...with its width...it would take up the whole top of my bag... How do you get it to fit in there?

So now I am fretting. Is there something wrong with a large stoma? And can you make it smaller? (Put it on a diet?) Does the large size mean my intestines are that swollen inside? Or were they always that large? Does the larger size mean you are flaring?

These things should come with a book.

Clo

Mine was also just under an inch, but I believe colostomies are always larger than ileos.

clo2014: Uhhhhhh....stoma's are not like getting a hair cut or a makeover, LOL! It all depends on your surgeon and his/her history of performing this operation.

My stoma, for good or bad, sticks out about an inch. I wish my Dr. had made it about 1/2 inch shorter, but that's life. I don't hardly ever have a leak because of that. But, I always "hit" it if I'm not paying attention in the yard, working on the car, etc. and, yes, the stitches holding it there still hurt when that happens.

Also, do you have an illeostomy or a colostomy? If the latter, your colon is larger than your small intestines in diameter, so it will be larger. Mine is an illeostomy, and though 1" long is only about 1-1/8" wide at the base.

Mines 30mm.