If it helps any -- look for folks who are part of the chronic illness community (covering both physical and mental chronic illness, and it's sadly often that they occur together). Become part of it (which basically means: online community). I'm on tumblr which is where a lot of us are at. Without this community I would never have found my friends who understand.
I particularly like tumblr because we can "reblog" (share) other people's tumblr posts. That way every person's blog becomes full of what they believe in, even if they can't generate a lot of content themselves. After a while you'll find people whose reblogs and posts and shares resonate with your own. You'll even learn a lot of stuff. And you'll learn a lot about individual people, too.
In that way, friendship-making and retaining becomes less of a minefield.
I am elemeeple on Tumblr -- feel free to follow if you join, although be warned I am an extremely liberal person. I am very, very left. Like sooooo soooo left. Way left. More left. More. Also superheroes.
Anyways. ^_^