I don't think it is a man/woman thing...I think that different people just have different ways of dealing with not feeling well. My husband and I are TOTALLY different...when he is sick he wants to be left alone...just close the door on the bedroom and leave him be. Sort of like a sick animal...going off into the woods to be alone. I , on the other hand, want to be babied, fluff my pillows, straighten my blankets, bring me cold water, rub my back, just sit and talk to me!!! It took us a while to figure it out...because when HE was sick I treated him like I wanted to be treated...bugged the heck out of him, babied him. When I was sick...HE treated me like he wanted to be treated, closed the door on me and left me alone to my misery as I lay there wondering why my husband didn't love me enough to at least come upstairs and check to see if I was still breathing!!! We finally wised up and started accomodating each other a little bit better. It is all about adjusting and communicating