Running On Empty: Freedom & Enable

“After your mother found the guarana pills, you looked them up and talked about the potential side effects and mechanism of action together. Initially, you felt that guarana would give you freedom and enable you to be more relaxed and enjoy eating and food. It seemed that guarana could work as a safety net, You were hopeful that it might quiet feelings which interferes with your ability to eat, and quiet the urge to vomit.”

From the "Running On Empty" story.

Running On Empty

“Dear Natalie,

Thank you for coming to meet me in clinic today. This letter will provide us both with the opportunity to review what we discussed together. We talked about the guarana supplements that you tried this summer. Your mother found them and was very upset. You understood this reaction, and felt it was appropriate because as you no know, the dietary supplement, guarana has some significant health risks.“

Before we began taking photos, Natalie led me into her room to show me some important things to help me understand how far she had come. Natalie pulled out a few items, including her old hospital wristbands, dated 15 August 2005 along with a weathered scrapbook, but it was evident she was most interested in the file folder.