Cholesteatoma
Youwill oftenneed to stay in hospitalat least overnight after the operation, and you should plan to take a week or two off work. Your surgeon can adviseyou aboutthis.
When you get home, take care to keepthe operated ear dry. You should be able to wash your hair after a week, provided you do not get water insidethe ear. This can be avoided by plugging the ear with cotton wool coated with Vaseline.
Swimming,strenuous activities and sportsmay need tobe avoided for a few weeks. Check with your surgeon at your follow-up appointment when it is safe to resume these.
Your surgeon may also recommend avoiding flying for several weeks after surgery. Again, you can ask them about this at your follow-up appointment.
If your stitches are not dissolvable, they may need to be removed by your practice nurse after a week or two.
Most people have a follow-up appointment in a clinic within a few weeks of the operation, when any dressings in your ear will be removed.
A cholesteatomacancome back,and onemay develop in your other ear, so you will need to attend regular follow-up appointments to monitor this.
Somepeople need a second operation after abouta year to check there are no skin cells left behind.
You should contact your GP or the ENT department of the hospital if you experience:
These problems could be a sign of a complication, such as an infection.
A cholesteatoma is an uncommon abnormal collection of skin cells inside your ear.
Usually only one ear is affected by a cholesteatoma. The two most common symptoms are: persistent, often smelly, discharge from the affected ear gradual loss ofhearingin the affected ear Some peo
Acholesteatoma can develop if part of the eardrum collapses because of problems equalising the pressure across it. This occurs when the Eustachian tube is not working properly.This is a thin tube tha
You should see your GP if you have problems with your hearing or persistent discharge from your ear. Your GP may diagnose or suspect a cholesteatomaafter examining your ear with an otoscope,an instru
To confirmthat you have acholesteatoma, an ENT surgeon will re-examine your ear and may carry out some hearing tests.You may also have a computerised tomography (CT) scan to see which parts of your ea
Youwill oftenneed to stay in hospitalat least overnight after the operation, and you should plan to take a week or two off work. Your surgeon can adviseyou aboutthis. Self care advice When you get h