Katie, I saw a post directing me to this board for pseudotumor cerebri, but I think hydro is different actually than what I have.

I wanted to reply to you though because I spent a lot of time single with few friends for other reasons. I too felt that I couldn't tell people what my youth had been like. I met somebody new who I confided in eventually who told me he didn't understand why I was so afraid because anyone who really got to know me would like me. The friendship ultimately didn't work out, but I carried that with me and found it to be true. Not everyone you open up to will be a good person or good friend, but you create closeness with people by sharing bad times as well as good.

I've found that if I stick with fun and funny things at first, I can gauge who might be interested in learning more by sharing just a minor frustration or difficulty. If the person seems genuinely interested in the conversation, you can slowly over time share more and more to see where the comfort level is at. I have gone from being somebody with few friends, to having quite a few friends of varying degrees of closeness. Not everyone will be somebody who wants to hear all about your struggles with hydro, but some will. And some who don't can still be friends that meet other needs in your life.