The Meal Plan

Chapter 21

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Taking laxatives was a bad idea. They just worsened my cramps. I clutched my stomach and crawled into a fetal position on my bed.

“Good morning, Neve-” Mom barged in. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” She asked, worried.

“I’m fine, mom” I lied. “I think I’m having indigestion from last night’s food”

“In that case, I’ll get you some milk of magnesia, that is ought to relieve the contents of your stomac-“ she stopped suddenly. It took me a whole minute to realize that I forgot to hide my ex-lax stash and my mom had discovered them.

“YOU TOOK LAXATIVES???” She screamed.

“I-I- I thought they might relieve my stomach” I winced and lied. Unfortunately, she caught me on my lie. It resulted in her going mad and begging me to stop taking them. An hour later, I was in the ER. After a few doctor administered medicines and excruciating hours in the toilet, my stomach slowly recovered. The next day, my mom invited her best friend, Maria Kepner, who is a physician to have a ‘pleasant chat’ with me. It was clear to me by then that my mom had figured out that I use laxatives on a regular basis and having Dr. Kepner over for dinner was her way of drilling some sense into me.

After pleasantries, mom left me and Dr. Kepner alone in the living room for a while.

“Neveah, I’m sure you must’ve guessed why I am here” She started.

“Yes, I have an idea” I said.

“Sweety, laxative abuse is common. For many people, it is a way to control their weight. But it is not the right way to go. Your mom is really worried” She said.

“I know, Dr. Kepner” I said.

“I don’t think you understand the side effects completely, Neveah. If you did, you wouldn’t be doing this. You may see a weightloss now but the bowel will get used to them so you need to take more and more to see a result. There are hazards! Just because you can buy these over the counter doesn’t mean that they are safe. Laxatives can make your bowel very sluggish or you could get a blockage of the bowel or it can give you diarrhea.

In severe cases this could be very serious indeed. You could get a very intense mineral imbalance in your body which could make you very, very sick. And you are likely to be severely dehydrated. In severe cases, you could end up in a coma. Many people who abuse laxatives don’t realize until they are taking a very large dose and then it is not very easy to solve. If you stop, you could end up constipated and you will only put on weight so it is a vicious circle” She said.

I stared at her the entire time, nodding at appropriate places. Dr. Kepner was a beautiful woman. While she was telling me the side effects of laxatives, I couldn’t help thinking how Dr. Kepner had never been in my shoes and how she would never understand.

“We are here for you, darling. We’ll help you” She squeezed my hands.

I didn’t want her help and I knew that I was going to resist it in every way possible.