Mel, I know how you feel. The same thing happened with BMS. I think I probably PUSHED some readers away because I kept saying at the beginning that it was going to be way more of a romance than Broken was, so if you don't like romance, don't feel obligated to read it. And so, a lot of people who had given me feedback every time I updated Broken didn't read it LOL. So I did lose quite a few regulars, but at the same time, a lot stuck with me too, and I've also gotten a lot of new readers. The vast majority of my regular reviewers now are not people who sent me reviews when I was writing Broken. It's interesting how the readership changes.
I don't feel at all desperate for feedback because I get a lot more than I ever used to get, and I'm grateful. I did go through a period earlier in BMS where I felt like I was making decisions and writing stuff the readers didn't like, and one in particular who had been one of my most complimentary reviewers turned into my biggest critic. I felt like I had let people down, and for awhile, I was kind of paranoid, like you said. Looking back, I think it was probably a good experience, though, because I eventually just toughened up to the criticism and stopped caring what other people thought. Not that I don't care about getting feedback, 'cause I definitely do appreciate it and like getting it, but it doesn't make or break me. I write what I want because I like writing, and if other people like it, great, and if they don't, they don't have to read it. I know that SOMEONE is bound to like what I write, even if not everyone does, and that's enough.
I know what you mean about losing writer friends too. A lot of my closest online friends have kind of moved on with their lives over the last few years, and I hardly ever talk to them anymore, which is sad, because we used to talk every day. It sucks when they lose interest in Bsb and/or fanfic because that was the common thread that led to our friendship.
I'm sorry you're feeling this way, and I hope things get better, in your personal life and online!