u/GrassRight9272

I called up a particular health insurance company today (Bupa) to ask about my claim for an upcoming procedure which required me to confirm it was not a previous medical condition. I had sent in all my paperwork, and got all the sign offs I needed.

I was transferred to a department that looks at these claims and was told I was put on hold - except I wasn't. They accidentally left me on the line, and I could hear everything.

At first it was relatively tame, reiterating that they couldn't speed up timelines for approval because it wasn't urgent. But then it changed - the person on the other end started going through my past medical history and with the excitement of what I can only guess to be a 5-year old boy finally finding wally in a where's wally puzzle, he got extremely excited about a previous procedure I had four years ago. When I say excited, I mean his voice beamed with joy.

This was a routine procedure which both my GP and specialist confirmed was not relevant, and truly is not medically relevant to my current situation.

It was the way that he was excited about the got-cha moment, like he struck gold. Someone honestly could have told him he won the lottery, and I can imagine he would have acted the same. The jumping up and down kind.

At that moment, I decided to make myself known to the people on the call and that I had heard their entire conversation. They then abruptly put me on hold, and I can imagine swore for dear life.

They then tried to gaslight me by saying I didn't hear what I did.

Turns out, the insurance companies are doing exactly what we think they are and some are even getting a sick thrill out of it.

I look forward to the inevitable ombudsman case when they 'reject' my claim.

Also going to move insurers because f*** Bupa.

Edit: My fiance is taking notes of all of the great suggestions to start war on my behalf (until I'm back on my feet, hence the need for the procedure). So keep them coming, please and thank you for all of the support - we are reading every one. I mainly just wanted people to know what they are really doing, but now I'm inspired.

Hi, just as a disclaimer - I don't post often so please be kind.

About 8 weeks ago my life turned upside down. I was on my morning train to work and severe diarrhea hit. Luckily made it to a station bathroom, but it really came out of nowhere. I didn't think much of this as I had tried to eat healthier over the weekend (adding some fibre) and assumed it was a sign to slow down.

A few weeks later it happened again on my morning commute and from then on I would experience these constant urges to go. I tried to not eat before making it to the office, in hopes that food was what was stimulating the action - but sadly this didn't work. Even with no food for 12+ hours, I was still experience diarrhea in the morning. To be clear, this was not 'feeling' like I was going to have diarrhea - it was having diarrhea.

I went to the doctors thinking I had picked up a bug and it just hadn't worked through my system. They ordered tests - including an ultrasound which showed a 11.3mm stone (mobile, not blocking any ducts) and sludge in my gallbladder - no inflammation. Up until then, I had no clue I had a gallstone and certainly no attacks. Though I have a family history of gallbladder removal (grandfather, uncle and cousin), I only just learned this. I have since been referred to a gastroenterologist who I will see on Friday.

My GP has not been of any help, so I've tried to do the best I can to relieve my symptoms. I've tried to limit fat, which did not work and quite frankly made me worse - I am a vegetarian so I think that all I was left with was fibre, so go figure. So I pivoted. I tried then incorporating a normal amount of fat in hopes that this would allow my gallbladder to correctly empty (help the sludge) and it just resulted in diarrhea. I was patient and tried to wait it out several days, thinking that my body was adjusting - but it became clear that it was worse over time and was resulting in a bowel movement after every meal (and almost instantly). This included a single muesli bar, and I finally woke up with it in the morning before I had eaten anything.

I am generally a healthy person. I don't smoke or drink alcohol. I exercise regularly and my favourite weekend activity is hiking. My cholesterol is actually on the clinically low side. I don't eat a lot of fat generally as it typically has not agreed with me my entire life. So, I often make things from home instead (thai food, pizza, etc) rather than getting takeaway. When I do get a high fat takeaway I often know that I will be unwell and it will be self inflicted (Schnitz chips usually do it for me). I was okay with this arrangement.

I have had IBS style issues in the past. These were completely resolved when I was diagnosed with endometriosis and had my operation. Turns out that when your bowel is glued to your uterus in a way that pulls it out of regular alignment, it can cause a lot of issues. To be clear, these were constipation issues (bloating, food intolerances) so very different to what I am experiencing now.

This came out of nowhere and while I understand that it can just happen, part of me is clinging to the idea that maybe its something else. The symptoms progressively got worse, to the point where now I can barely leave the house. The urges exist whether I am at home, or trying to go elsewhere. It feels like my whole abdomen is bearing down. The only thing that is helping is loperamide, which typically leaves me unable to use the bathroom for about 4 days - however I loose my appetite and have lost about 7kgs in the last few weeks alone. Not that my GP has considered that relevant, and is insisting unrelated to my gallbladder.

Symptoms (never experienced before):

- Diarrhea (worse in mornings); irrelevant of eating

- Pain under ribcage (both left and right)

- Urges (bearing down) feeling to pass stool

- Burning in upper stomach region

- Acid reflux

- Stool yellow when wiping

- Lack of appetite

Things I've tried:

- Smaller more frequent meals

- Low fat.. then

- Normal fat

- Mindfulness and breathing (for when I hoped it was IBS)

- Pelvic floor relaxation

- Digestive enzymes

Any advice here on alternative diagnoses, or if you had something similar and it was just your gallbladder being terrible? I don't think it's IBS because it's now happening when I am alone at home and do not need to leave for several days. I also am confident my endo isn't back because the symptoms are the opposite really.

For anyone who has been in similar circumstances, did you get your gallbladder removed or was there anything that worked for you (medication, lifestyle modification)? From my research the stone is too large to block the ducts now and cause the attack, so it may be fine to leave. But mixed on the sludge. I'm scared of the medication because I heard it can induce diarrhea, which is what I'm trying to escape.

I've been pretty dismissed by my current GP who said that these symptoms aren't related to my Gallbladder. How do I prepare for the Gastro, what do I ask for/demand? I've seen the HIDA scan which would show how my gallbladder is functioning (even if it looks fine on an ultrasound).

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who responds. I'll try my best to pay it forward when I have answers myself.