Go through these in order and stop at the first one that applies. If you are reading this for someone else, answer for them.
Emergency care is appropriate for sudden neurologic symptoms, collapse, or severe facial drooping.
Contact the surgical team promptly if pain or drainage is increasing, hearing suddenly worsens, the wound becomes red or swollen, or fever develops.
Seek urgent medical care for new facial weakness, severe or continuous vertigo, swelling behind the ear, intense headache, confusion, neck stiffness, or repeated vomiting.
Cholesteatoma requires long-term follow-up, including after apparently successful surgery.
Small areas of tissue may remain in places that are difficult to see, and a new retraction pocket or cholesteatoma can develop later.
Routine follow-up may include ear examinations, microscope cleaning, hearing tests, and diffusion-weighted MRI.
The timing depends on the operation, the extent of disease, age, symptoms, and what the surgeon finds during follow-up.
Keeping follow-up appointments is important even when the ear feels normal.
Recurrent or residual cholesteatoma may not cause noticeable symptoms at first.
The article also says
People with a canal wall down cavity may need periodic professional cleaning because the enlarged ear space may not clear wax and skin normally.
The clinician can also advise whether water precautions or other ongoing ear care are needed.
After surgery, the care team should explain which symptoms are expected and when to make contact.
Mild discomfort, temporary fullness, and some drainage may occur during healing.
Every sign above is quoted from the sofidex article on Cholesteatoma. If you are not sure, err upward — it is always reasonable to be checked.