Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

That U2 song has been stuck in my head off and on for a week now as I search for answers to my son's condition.  And on a side note, I really hate that there are virtually no songs now that are meaningful - or any good, for that matter.  As shocking as it may sound that I am unable to find the value of the stuff that's on the radio nowadays.  And to believe that once upon a time, Motley Crue and Guns and Roses were considered to be bad influences infiltrating our brains with filth.  Now they're old - and so am I.   

Okay, I've told my brain to stop wistfully thinking back on the good old days and to get back to the matter at hand...

What can I expect from my son who has LVAS/EVAS?

I still have so many unanswered questions - I just need to deal with it.  Seriously, life is a huge, unanswered question if you look at the big picture.  You can make all the plans you want and something completely unexpected can happen to you.  Maybe I need to look at this in that way.

Or else I will go completely nuts.

These are still the things I'm continuing to grapple with, and by all means, if anybody out there reading this has a different experience, please comment.  I need all the help I can find.

• If LVAS is characterized by fluctuations in hearing loss, how does trauma or these "bumps" to the head factor in?  Could you have a sudden, unexplained drop in hearing that is coincidental to the head bump?  Could you continue to have the fluctuations after the head bumps?  I understand how head trauma could adversely affect the disorder, but could a simple knock on the noggin wipe out all hearing?
• Will balance issues be a continuous problem?  Can they be overcome?
• How does a high tolerance for pain factor into LVAS/EVAS?  Butters doesn't get as upset as other babies do when he bumps his head, or gets shots at the doctor's office.
• Can cochlear implants help to prevent fluctuations in hearing loss?  

 What I do know is that I cannot completely shield him from everything.  Hearing loss or no hearing loss.  I cannot wear Butters in the Bjorn sling all day long in an effort to prevent any head bumps.  Well, I guess I could, but it would make cooking dinner over a hot skillet pretty damn challenging.  I cannot constantly worry about where his hearing level is and bang pots and pans over his ears to see what kind of response I get.  

We are simply continuing on course.  We do our "Learning to Listen" sounds with the little farmyard animals, although he despises the rooster.  We roll the little car around and make the "Beep Beep" noises despite his grabbing it and sticking it into his mouth.  We let him roll around on the floor and let him "practice crawl" and fall over.  We let him vegetate on the couch with us in the evenings and watch "Wheel of Fortune" while I curse the contestants when they always pick a stupid letter.  Don't worry, folks, I cover his ears.

We let him be a little baby boy.  

Because that's what we ultimately want for him - to be a regular, little boy.  He will always need that extra bit of support with language and communication skills, but we don't want him to think that he can't do the same things as other kids his age do.  Of course, when he turns eighteen and tells us he wants to join the army, we'll have to tell him he can't due to their stringent health restrictions.  But I can think of worse things than not being able to join the army!