# Do you and your SO avoid eachother when one of you is sick? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025 "2002-08-15T14:50:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/1 "2002-08-15T14:50:30Z")
My SO was sick with a cold last week. We continued to be intimate regularly, kiss hello and goodbye, etc. Basically acting the same as we always do. Now I have a cold. 😛 This leads me to ask the obvious question: Are there any dopers out there that actually make the attempt to avoid a SO when they are sick in the hopes that the cold/flu or whatever won’t spread? I should also not that my G/F and I do not live together, so it wouldn’t be as difficult for us to avoid one another as it would be for say a married couple sharing a house and bed. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/2 "2002-08-15T15:30:29Z")
We figure we’re going to catch it eventually anyway, so we do what we usually do. ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/3 "2002-08-15T15:36:39Z")
When my SO is sick he tries to keep me from getting it and the same goes for when I am sick. We just kiss on the cheek and try not to drink out of the same glass and not cough on each other and wash our hands alot. Most of the time it works. ---
**Author:** ![Dilbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58f4c7/32.png) [@Dilbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilbert)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/4 "2002-08-15T15:40:56Z")
Yes. If she is extremely sick, I will sleep on the couch. If she is not, I will sleep in the same bed, but we will avoid kissing. Seems to work so far. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/5 "2002-08-15T16:14:09Z")
Depending on how ill they are. Common colds, flues and the like don’t bother me much. Of course, I cut down the physical intimacy, but I like to do whatever I can to help make them feel better. Bringing over soup, getting them dinner, sometimes just hanging out to make sure if they need something they have someone there. If she’s hoarking up loogies, I don’t go in for the mug down sessions, I have enough sense about that, but I feel it’s a bit of my obligation as a boyfriend to be there and helpful in whatever way possible. Avoiding them completely seems incredibly selfish. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/6 "2002-08-15T17:24:35Z")
When we were first married we shared sick cooties all of the time - until we got the dread disease from hell. Flu-ish in symptoms and as soon as one felt they might live, the other fell like a ton of bricks. We traded this back and forth for over two months. It was hell. Now, DH and I avoid one another in hopes that the other won’t get the creeping crud. ---
**Author:** ![cards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@cards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cards)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/7 "2002-08-15T17:36:26Z")
No, we don’t avoid each other when we are sick. We avoid each other when we are well. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/8 "2002-08-15T20:24:13Z")
We still sleep in the same bed and maintain relatively normal behavior. We do, however, avoid kissing, etc. ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/9 "2002-08-15T23:49:55Z")
No, we take care of each other. Most of the time we don’t catch illnesses from each other, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/10 "2002-08-16T00:24:45Z")
If one of us is sick, we will tell the other not to come near, but the other doesn’t listen and gets sick regardless. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/11 "2002-08-16T00:34:02Z")
We don’t french kiss much when one of us is sick, but nothing else (sleeping, kissing, etc.) really changes. I don’t remember the last time I caught something from her, or vice versa. Maybe it happens but I’m more inclined to simply attribute it to something that’s “going around.” ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/12 "2002-08-16T01:46:29Z")
Last time my wife got sick, I moved to another continent. Maybe I overreacted. Usually we just avoid kissing, sharing silverware, and wash our hands a lot. It seems to work most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/13 "2002-08-16T03:16:58Z")
The guy I lived with for many years went home to his mom’s house whenever _ **I** _ was sick. I honestly didn’t mind, because it prevented him from catching whatever I had, and left me to myself, which is what I prefer when I don’t feel well. When he was sick, he stayed around and I took care of him, which again, was fine with me, because I rarely caught anything from him for some reason, and I didn’t mind playing Nursie. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/14 "2002-08-16T03:31:18Z")
Having the sickies is a bit of a disincentive towards erotica but it doesn’t detract from cuddling or the desire to be held. Yeah, we’re stupid, we pass along infections regularly instead of avoiding each other. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-and-your-so-avoid-eachother-when-one-of-you-is-sick/124025/15 "2002-08-16T04:02:07Z")
We generally try to avoid each other in the case of major illnesses (that knock down drag out flu type stuff **Adoptamom** mentioned comes to mind). But usually, one or the other of us will have a moment of intelligence along the lines of: “Hey. I didn’t make kissy-face with anybody at work, did you?” “No, and just **what** are you getting at, buster?” “No, no, I mean… No ‘tongue kissing with Typhoid Mary’ stuff went on, and yet you’re sick, right?” “And…?” “If you got it just from the air, or shaking hands, or whatever… why are we avoiding each other? Without wearing Bio-Suits, I’m **gonna** get this from you anyway.” So, usually, we’re both sick within a day or two, anyway.