does size matter for ileostomy

I don't see why it would. Little babies have ostomies that work just fine, and they're WAY smaller than we are.

My only input/thoughts would be:

 because you are a bigger guy you probably have a bigger appetite? maybe I'm wrong.  This would lead to more output.

From my experience (5'9" female with a good apetite :) ) I know i have to get up almost always once in the middle of the night because my pouch is full (from output and gas).  Luckily I'm a light sleeper and never really favored sleeping on my stomach.  These adjustments are minor in comparisson the the relief/freedom I've reclaimed since my colon was removed due to severe crohn's.  Although we ostomates have to adjust and learn to do things differently, I'm ever so thankful to be in control of my life again!!!

Good luck with what ever you decide!

PS a good ostomy nurse will also consider your size and where your waistline is when determining where to place the stoma for optimal comfort/function. 

Hey there, I'm a big guy too and had an ileostomy for a year -- just had my takedown and all is going well. If you're big, one problem to be aware of is the potential for a peristomal hernia. I had one around my ileostomy that grew quite large (I almost looked a bit 'pregnant' around the stoma) and wore a support belt most of the time to contain it. The problem with the support belt is that it did cause my bag to leak do to movement pulling on the seal of the bag. I was using a one-part bag. However, the belt is important, so you might want to start wearing one from the earliest opportunity to avoid getting a hernia. The surgeons fixed the hernia during my ileostomy take down, so hopefully it will stay. However, if you have a permanent ileostomy, I've heard it's much more difficult to fix hernias...

It is true that the more you eat, the more output you have. I didn't follow any strict diet and was fine, never had a blockage. But I did have to empty my bag about 6-8 times per day -- particularly in the evening and night. I had to wake-up at least once every night to empty. It made going out in the evenings a bit of a nuisance, as I had to constantly visit public toilets (which are rather small here in Europe). Plus I always carried an extra bag and wetwipes with me everywhere I went. Once I even had to empty during a film at the cinema.... but, all in all, my ileostoma was never a big problem and I got used to it.

Good luck with everything!