Will You Reveal Your Secrets Under Anesthesia?
Today’s burning question is about deep, dark secrets, and I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly what those secrets are, because I don’t know either. Our question was asked anonymously and the author of the letter asks:
Hi Beth,
I am in my fifties and have yet to have my first colonoscopy. I know I should have had one already, especially since my large family has a history of colon cancer.
This is why I didn’t hear: I’ve heard many stories about people who said things under anesthesia that they usually wouldn’t do, and that they usually don’t remember afterwards that they said these things. There are some secrets that I hid from my spouse, and I am afraid to reveal them under anesthesia. He usually accompanied me to my medical procedure. Am I paranoid? Does the fact that I’m fixated on this increase that I’m going to talk about it?
This should be a pretty big secret if you’re willing to risk cancer for fear of exposing it. But I have good news for you. I went with your question to the anesthesiologist and gastroenterologist, and both agreed that you are unlikely to say anything, whether fixation or not.
The anesthesia used in colonoscopy is more properly called sedation and usually includes midazolam (Versed) along with the opioid fentanyl . If you have a colonoscopy in your doctor’s office, this is probably all you get. For deeper sedation, an anesthetist will be involved and you will receive these medications plus propofol . This is possible, but unusual with other medications, so be sure to ask your doctor if you’re wondering. It’s always okay to ask questions about any medication, including anesthesia, so you know exactly what you are taking and what its effects will be.
None of these drugs act like a truth serum or lower your inhibitions to the point where you decide to strike up a conversation about something shameful from your past. Yes, you may say something that you don’t remember, or perhaps say something a little inappropriate. But not so out of place.
Disinhibition from anesthesia “looks like a slight aggravation of alcohol intoxication,” says Dr. Amnon Sonnenberg, a gastroenterologist, professor at Oregon University of Health and Science and author of a study on sedation during colonoscopy . It sounds alarming, but then he adds: “Such disinhibition is also rare, and disinhibited patients do not disclose any personal information that they absolutely keep secret and do not want to disclose at all.”
Anesthesiologist Dr. Wesley Clarke agrees that what people say about his treatment is minimalistic and boring. “They may say one or two things right when they wake up that they may not remember, but that’s … exactly what you might think someone would say to a stranger in a situation like this. Like “Oh, is it over yet?” or “When will this start?” or “Wow, I was asleep.” They may say such little things when they wake up, but this does not mean that they suddenly feel freedom or the need to bare their souls. I’ve never seen anyone do that. “
Even if you become the only person who starts talking secrets under anesthesia, your spouse is unlikely to hear them. Sedation begins right before the procedure, when you are with the doctor and the person accompanying you is in the waiting room with nothing to do but read the annual magazines. The staff will not call them back to the recovery room until you wake up.
By the way, medical personnel are obliged to observe ethics (and human decency) and keep all the strange things you say under wraps. Perhaps someone less respectable will share a hilarious commentary without naming names later at the dinner table, suggests Dr. Clarke, but that assumes that you are saying anything at all, that this is somehow exactly what you are afraid of, and that the staff even cares. “There are so many levels of improbability.”
The bottom line is that you can have this colonoscopy with confidence! But Dr. Clark wonders if you really need to work on communicating with your spouse. So I consulted a third expert, regular Tough Love columnist Patrick Allan. He says that your fears about anesthesia, even if proven unfounded, “should be a reminder that these deep dark secrets are hard on your mind, and they will continue to do so until you have the courage to reveal them. “
If you also have questions about Deep Dark Secrets (or health, medicine or the human body), email me at [email protected] or submit your question anonymously at bethskw.sarahah.com .