BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Deafness deafness caused by Streptomycin

I have a friend who lost her hearing completely after being given Streptomycin when she was 15 years old.

She lives in a rural part of China where medical support is non existant

I want to know are there any new products or methods to correct this without going to the unaffordable route of a Cochlear implant , i have heard the CI is about $70,000 ??

She is a very intelligent educated woman but has worked shovelling coal for 10 years due to discrimination over her hearing impairment , and has no social life due to a lack of acceptance and understanding of disabilities in China so it would be nice to find a way to help.

are there any medical experts on this site ?

thankyou. Em

Em, hi just want to welcome you to the forum, Hope you enjoy your stay.
"Rosie"

Hi Em
A cochlear implant doesn't cost that much in Australia. But in China who knows. Because your friend is in a rural part of China without medical support she is going to have difficulty accessing the kind of expertise she needs.

I am not a medical expert but I do understand that hearing loss due to ototoxic drugs has probably killed off the hairs in the Cochlear and the only resolution for this is a cochlear implant. However, she would need to access medical advice. You don't say how old she is and this can also affect the successful outcome of an implant - the longer the period of deafness without the hearing nerve being stimulated can result in poor quality transmission of sound to the brains.