Was Never Advised Of My Right To An Attorney

Location: Illinois So, I'll try to sum this up as briefly as I can. Back in May, I was charged with a DUI. I hadn't been drinking, but that's not really the point of the situation. I was accused of it, but refused a breathalyzer because a friend of mine who is a police officer told me to ALWAYS refuse, due to the various things that can go wrong with that. So I was taken in, booked, and released.

I'm unemployed, so I was expecting to have the public defender represent me. After being pushed back a couple times, I had my first appearance. At no point did the judge advise me of my right to an attorney or ask me if I'd like to hire my own, represent myself, etc. Instead, the state's attorney presented me with a plea agreement to look at. He had my attorney listed as someone I had never heard of, and when I advised him of that, he simply put white-out over the name.

Now, I'm well-aware that I should not have signed this agreement without representation. In that moment, all I was thinking about was a job that I had applied for that had my application on hold due to having an open case. So my split second reaction (after having this appearance delayed twice) was to sign the agreement and accept the consequences simply so that my application for the job could be considered. I was desperate for income. I was then told that I had 28 days to appeal.

Later, I began to rethink this decision and tried to appeal, due to a violation of my 6th amendment rights. I could not afford an attorney (did not get that job) and tried to do so on my own. It was too complicated, and even the circuit clerk was lost as to how to guide me through it. Eventually, the deadline passed, and I accepted my fate as screwed. This has caused me tremendous strife because I now do not have a license, and therefore am much more limited in terms of finding employment. Not to mention the trouble with going to see my children and court fees.

All that to ask...Is there anything that can be done at this point? If I have to just eat it and move on, I guess I have to. But is it even possible to have my case re-examined?

Side note that may not even matter, but...the judge's wife is good friends with my ex-wife and hates my guts. For whatever that info is worth. Small town life, ya know?