Other articles by Jeanne Phillips:

Dear Abby : What they're doing is theft Dear Abby : Holidays aren't for everyone Dear Abby : Wishing unhappiness for ex Dear Abby : Don't listen to pessimists Dear Abby : Do people pretend an interest? Dear Abby : Hubby needs vow reminder Dear Abby : Who pays for birth control? Dear Abby : Time to make princesses work Dear Abby : Try compromise on holiday Dear Abby : Is wearing a thong so wrong?

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● DEAR ABBY: I just finished reading the letter regarding the husband who, while coming out of anesthesia, "confessed" to cheating on his wife.

You were dead-on when you said, "People babble all sorts of nonsense when coming out of anesthesia." Some of it may be true, but most of the time it is not! I know from experience.

When I had knee surgery, I later learned that while I was in recovery I told the nurse I hoped Meredith wouldn't see me, as I looked horrible. When asked who Meredith was, I said she was my wife. Abby, I was 14 years old at the time!

I hope that the wife in that letter realizes that maybe her husband's confession was just the result of being in a completely different world. And, hopefully, the husband's alleged mistress is only as real as my supposed "wife" was. — Gregory B., Cincinnati

DEAR GREGORY B.: Thank you for sharing your experience. I got a rash of mail from people telling me I should not have printed that letter because it would deter people from having medical procedures that require an anesthetic! What the hospital worker had actually done was share an old wives' tale. Read on:

● DEAR ABBY: If it were true that "people coming out of anesthesia are completely incapable of lying," the police would be giving this as a test instead of polygraphs, neither of which are admissible in court as reliable indicators to convict someone. — Juanita in Melbourne, Fla.

● DEAR ABBY: My husband had a colonoscopy, and when I met him in the recovery room he was still "under the influence." When I asked him how it went in there, he responded, "Well, we had Earth, Wind and Fire in there, and we were dancing all over the place." I replied, "I find that hard to believe, honey," and he said, "I won the dance contest!"

I would advise that wife not to believe what others say while coming out of anesthesia. — Cindy in Ann Arbor, Mich.

● DEAR ABBY: Since I have been giving anesthesia for more than 30 years, I feel somewhat qualified to comment on the nurse's statement that "It's impossible to lie under anesthesia." There are many classes of drugs given during anesthesia, and most of them only make you talkative and amnestic. I don't know of a single one that is guaranteed to produce the truth. — Pat in Marshalltown, Iowa