The Artificial Woman- Pt. 7-doctor! doctor!

Tests needed to be performed on Rainbow to see of she had any of the heart or kidney problems associated with TS. She would also need hormones to become a woman. Otherwise, she would simply age rapidly, looking like a child.

To check the state of her heart and kidneys, Rainbow underwent an ultrasound. Doctors looked for "horseshoe" shaped kidneys, any abnormalities in her heart, and any possible sex organs. The test was surprisingly unpleasant, mostly because she had to be full to the brim with water, but not pee, in order to get good pictures. This would have been okay, if not for the fact Rainbow was VERY ticklish. The sliding of the camera over her greased body seemed like torture.

Midway through the test, Rainbow was granted permission to empty her bladder, about half-way. Then back to business.

Thankfully, the ultrasound did not show any abnormalities with her kidneys. Her heart looked normal, too, except for being oddly shaped. It also further confirmed that she had no ovaries. Her uterus (if she had one) didn't show up very well. An ob-gyn would check that out.

Turner Syndrome is rare enough that it is difficult to find a doctor who knows how to factor that into treatment. When it came time to see a gynecologist who would prescribe Rainbow's hormones, he was used to doling them to menopausal women, and not 13-year-old girls.

Similarly, as a 13-year-old, Rainbow was not prepared to be poked and prodded by hands and scissor-shaped instruments. A nurse was present as the doctor examined her thoroughly and set up a regimen of pills to help her get her boobs and period. Strangely, Rainbow was looking forward to this, erroneously thinking that once the pills kicked in, she would look more "normal" like her sister. The pills could only do so much, though. And Rainbow left the doctor's office feeling violated.

After about a month of taking the hormones, "Aunt Flow" arrived, and Rainbow's mom, Kay, proudly announced this news to Bob, who proceeded to make inappropriate jokes to his daughter, thinking that he was somehow being encouraging.

Eventually Rainbow would wise-up to the absolute pointlessness of bleeding every month, but at the time, her life as an artificial woman was just beginning.

up next: school days-crimes and misdemeanors