just for some archived info, I was able to fix this by simply replacing the LCD Inverter. It's a long thin chip inside the LCD bezel that powers the screen. After a lot of searching, this came up to be the cheapest option ($30) so I tried it first and so far (one hour) it is working. I was able to get a used one on ebay; I couldn't find any new ones anywhere, and it was really easy to replace.
I'm so happy to have my laptop back
