Disappointment is the major trigger of cortisol -read this just yesterday...
My husband has been nurturing my sorry ass back to life for years BUT the reason for it is that he also once was very ill suffering from some mysterious illness that was never diagnosed (I'm sure it was the same AF issue after he told me). That's why he can relate to what I'm going through...
Nobody wants to deal with health problems sometimes even their own, let alone another person's...
So what you 've been thinking in the back of your mind could be very true. You might need to meet another person with AF, so you both can go through this together. It might help you both grow spiritually too and this could become a truly beautiful relationship.