HELP! I have made terrible decisions

It's nice that you are taking care of your mistakes and trying to improve your credit. Any lender will appreciate seeing your credit at the best standing and with the minimum or no negative reporting.

Your first move is to pull the latest credit copy from the three bureaus and figure out the status of the debt accounts. Dispute any incorrect item in your credit file with the bureau and the creditor/ca and urge them to fix it asap. The incorrect items lower the credit scores largely.

Once you find your credit file putting accurate information, call the creditors and propose payment arrangements with them. You can take the help of a debt counselor who will do the negotiations with your creditors in a professional manner.