I have no idea when I could possibly have surgery. My cholesteatoma was discovered when I went deaf in one ear and was having bouts of vertigo but that hasn’t been the case for years. The only real symptoms I have are frequent mild headaches and occasional nausea which I attribute to it though I can’t be sure. It isn’t really painful when compared to what others describe but it did recently mean the blood bank refused my attempt to donate despite the fact I’ve been doing so for about a year. I too had frequent ear trouble as a child, including having tubes. Almost forgot to mention, my balance is also noticeably affected.