Guys Explained Questions and Answers - Your Guide to the Male Mind

Thanks for the question C.S. I should point out that this is not a
universal problem; some men actually enjoy getting sick so they
can be mothered a bit. So on an individual basis, your question
may not apply.

However, the fact is that it DOES apply in many cases. The reason
is twofold. First, men are "fixers," and they perpetuate this feeling
of superiority and their over-inflated belief that they can fix
anything by offering solutions to any problem you want to vent
about, instead of simply listening and understanding. You've
suffered through that before I am sure.

But back to how it relates to your question: when a man gets sick,
he cannot simply fix it. So that makes him frustrated and angry,
and he wants to lash out at anyone around him. This is especially
true when his wife or woman - the weaker female - tries to do her
part and help him. To the insecure male, this is effectively
castration. "Me, the all-powerful man, needing help fom HER? She
can't even put air in her tires!"

The secondary reason for the typical jerkiness is that men like to
blame someone, and in his germ-filled mind he can come up with
1,000 ways YOU made him sick. You stress him out, you always
need money, you let the kids get sick, you don't change the
sheets enough, yoou fed him something improperly cooked...face
it, you made him sick.

There is no solution, really. Just avoid him until he gets better, or
until he comes begging on his hands and knees for your
assistance. Oh, but be careful: men by nature do not want to
admit the seriousness of any illness, so be on the lookout for
whether this simple illness is something more serious. A bleeding
ulcer is an upset stomach. Acid is a heart attack. A strange
numbness on his face that he attributes to too much alcohol last
night could be a stroke. He'll never admit it until its too late.