I guess my standard for calling someone a "friend" is very high because getting MS kind of sorts them out. When I was in bad shape around the time of my initial diagnosis, my two real friends and my family were totally there for me. Since then, I recognize that the old rules still apply. When I speak with any of them, they want to talk as friends do - a good mix about them and about me, laughing about things, etc. I am taken over by MS but I cannot allow my talk with friends and family to be taken over by it. Even when I don't feel like it, I need to dig down and feel/show a genuine interest in them and their relatively normal lives. If all I talk about is me, they are going to find something else to do, same as it would have been in life before MS. I have to often bring advice from the old Dale Carnegie book, "How to Win Friends..." into play, and strongly recommend it to anybody with friend issues.

On the other hand, I have never been very sociable and have become even less sociable as my MS has progressed. I love my time alone working in my shop or listening to an audio book. I cringe at the thought of having to go out to dinner. This definitely diminishes my circle of people that I consider "social acquaintances" rather than "friends." That's cool. My own choice. My own values have shifted. I just try to stay upbeat about it.

Most of my friends are super supportive and some friends (even a friend I have had since middle school) have just faded away...it hurts and I even feel angry sometimes. :(

Nearly every person I considered to be my friend disappeared from my life. It was easier for them to end our friendship than to commit to helping me through the challenges I faced. Not that I demanded or expected help...I didn't. My girlfriend at the time of my diagnosis stayed with me, but would get upset anytime the subject of MS came up and even she couldn't take the imagined future of increased disability and so she left.
Websites talk about the importance of a support system and having an advocate you can trust. I don't have either and it makes things harder. I have no illusions about help: people have taught me that I will be facing each challenge alone.

@Victory1, you have us! We got your back!

I have no body close to me anymore. I am not looking for sympathy but everyone left me. So I guess they weren't really my friends