Hey Zig, I've been waiting for you to come back so I could share a thread that I'm finding really helpful in dealing with the mlc stuff that my H has been displaying.
Given the parallels between our sitches, I thought you would find it useful too.
Warning - it's a very long set of posts, but it is SO worthwhile to read from start to finish - and the best thing is, Ta Da: there's a happy ending!
Anyway, have a look at AliSuddenly's story - for me it's been a sanity-saver.
It's in piecing and, as she documents in painful detail, there often seemed to be absolutely no hope along the way.