Disclosure: I have worked in banking/credit for 14 years and currently work in the student lending field.

Are these federal loans or private? Have you contacted the lender/servicer to discuss your options? I would say this is the first step. You may have more options with federal loans, but private lenders have rate reduction and income-based repayment programs as well.

This isn't meant to rough you up individually, but for anyone who takes out a loan, you should know what you're getting into up front and how your decisions might impact you and your financial well-being. I certainly don't know your circumstances, and things don't always work out as we plan or intend, but we all have an obligation to pay the debts we incur under the terms to which we agreed. Even if it takes 20 years to pay these off, I would hope that you would do all you could to make the payments.

Regarding your credit, what's done is done; however, each month that passes where you make on-time payments and pay down your debt, your FICO will gradually increase and it's only a matter of time until you're where you want to be. It's like going on a diet; you won't lose the weight overnight and it's more a lifestyle change that yields results in due time. Don't fall for any credit repair service scam; they cannot do anything and you will only fall deeper into debt paying them for services they cannot provide.