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It was a little before noon the next day when Mitch Tojian called with Matty's blood analysis. |
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Terry held the phone so hard, her hand was a white claw. The good news was that there were no signs of any drugs in Matty's system, and he had been screened for most trafficked substances. However, as expected, his blood revealed an elevation of several hormones. |
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What bothered Tojian was the high levels of gonadotropic hormones, male sex steroids. Boys of twelve usually had, he said, mean plasma testosterone levels of around 250. Matty's was nearly 2,000more than twice that of a male adult. He said it was not clear what was causing the overproductionwhether it was a problem with Matty's adrenal glands or his brain. The high numbers indicated that the pituitary gland might be triggering the excess, accounting for the enlarged genitalia and general hirsutism. That might also explain the rage. As for the cause? Well, they would need more tests. He wanted Matty brought in Saturday for a physical. He had also arranged for an MRI at the Emerson Hospital that same day. When Terry asked what the MRI was for, Tojian explained it was the standard procedure for detecting tumors. |
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The word jabbed Terry's being. |
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While Mitch assured her that pituitary tumors could be treated, she knew as she hung up that the life they had been living was forever changed. This was the turning point from which they would forever mark the calendar. What certitude about the future they had shared as a family was gone like morning dew. No longer would |
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