# Was this a post-operative test? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939 "2017-09-22T04:14:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/1 "2017-09-22T04:14:06Z")
I was in the hospital for a minor medical procedure (a colonoscopy) this week. When I woke up after the procedure, a nurse asked me if I wanted a drink. Not having been able to drink for several hours, I happily said yes. She gave me several choices and I asked for a diet Pepsi, which she brought to me in a cup. I drank it and tossed the cup in the garbage. The doctor came around a little while later, talked over the results (which were good), and asked me how I was feeling. During this, he asked me if the nurse had given me a drink. I said, “Yes, she brought me a diet Pepsi.” He then asked me if I drank the whole can and I said it had been a styrofoam cup but I drank all of it. It seemed to me like this wouldn’t normally be the kind of casual conversation I’d have with a surgeon in a post-op room. So I suspect there was some significance to his questions. Was my ability to drink a cup of soda relating to my post-op recovery in some way? Or was it a test of my mental recovery from the anesthesia to see if I could remember having had the drink? Or am I reading too much into this? ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/2 "2017-09-22T04:21:30Z")
Well, since a colonoscopy doesn’t cause blood loss, I would guess it was a subtle test of mental acuity. Like you said, cup versus can would let the doc know if your short term memory was functioning again. Elderly patients with mental problems would get a question like that wrong. They tend to be really agreeable - they’d answer yes to both questions. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/3 "2017-09-22T08:03:19Z")
and the general can cause the problem with memory loss… ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/4 "2017-09-22T08:51:48Z")
Is it normal to have a general anaesthetic for a colonoscopy? I didn’t for the one I had a couple of months ago. The nurse in post-op was very chatty though and phoned me at home a couple of hours later to check. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/5 "2017-09-22T09:25:49Z")
I think you are reading a little too much into it. The standard questions to test mental acuity are person, place, and time. It _is_ possible he was checking your sharpness, but I’m going to guess he has no idea what the nurse is providing drinks in. **bob++** , no general is not usually used for a colonoscopy. **Little Nemo** didn’t specify what was used. He could have “woke up” after procedural sedation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/6 "2017-09-22T10:21:37Z")
Yeah, it’s hard to imagine a doctor concerning himself with details like the container a nurse brought a drink in. He just wants to know that you’re being adequately hydrated. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/7 "2017-09-22T10:44:31Z")
I don’t know about the question, but during my colonoscopy a few years ago they used propofol. Very effective, and few lingering aftereffects. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/8 "2017-09-22T22:57:50Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I don’t know about the question, but during my colonoscopy a few years ago they used propofol. Very effective, and few lingering aftereffects. I’ll say. They told me they were going to use it for mine. They rolled me into the OR and I was happily talking to the people, then all of a sudden I was in recovery? Wha??? Why didn’t you tell me? Also, no side effects, so I have that going for me. 🙂 J. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/9 "2017-09-22T23:05:18Z")
Haha I was laying on the table and I could see the screen that they were using. I guess there are not that many people who have seen the inside of their colon…🙂 And yes, I was very relaxed. The worst part was the horrible laxative I had to take the previous day. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/10 "2017-09-22T23:33:44Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > …The worst part was the horrible laxative I had to take the previous day. Yeah, that’s a real thrill. It’s like drinking soap. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/11 "2017-09-23T00:58:34Z")
The doc wasn’t giving a thought to the type of beverage container. His mention of ‘can’ was just phrasing. I believe he was more interested in whether you were able to keep fluids down. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/12 "2017-09-23T01:57:08Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Haha I was laying on the table and I could see the screen that they were using. I guess there are not that many people who have seen the inside of their colon…🙂 Ha! Mine actually emailed these photos to me at home! And, yes, I actually saved them on my hard drive. No idea why. Perhaps I could post an advert on one of the online sex sites, and include one of these photos. Grinder, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-post-operative-test/796939/13 "2017-09-23T12:09:03Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Ha! Mine actually emailed these photos to me at home! > > And, yes, I actually saved them on my hard drive. No idea why. Perhaps I could post an advert on one of the online sex sites, and include one of these photos. Grinder, maybe? Hey look - squeeky clean inside and out =)