FRUSTRATED!!!!

If the next time you see me and I have a few bald spots, just pretend you don't see them! They are either from Tristan pulling my hair out - which he does quite regularly - or because I've yanked my own hair out in frustration. The child won't sleep through the night! He used to, he started around 6 weeks until 5 months, but since then it hasn't happened. And he's started waking up in the middle of the night and staying awake. I've tried letting him cry it out a few times but I think I give in to easily. It just seems to me that if he's crying so hard that he can't breath, I should probably check on him.
Tonight he went to bed around 9 and then woke up at 12:15, I nursed him and he fell back asleep but as soon as I laid him down in his crib his eyes would pop wide open. I rocked him once and then laid him back down and I let him cry and just sat outside his doorway where I could see him but he couldn't see me and watched him to see what he did. He of course screamed like the world was falling down on top of him. He kept laying his head down for a second and then would bounce right back up and scream even louder. I let this go on for about 35 minutes before I went in and picked him up. I tried rocking him but at this point he was wide awake and was just not having me try to put him back to sleep. I was so frustrated so I had Chad try and take a turn rocking him. He lasted about 10 minutes before he brought Tristan downstairs. I stayed down in the basement and worked and Chad let Tristan crawl around and play for a little bit. When Chad wanted to go to sleep I tried to get Tristan to go to sleep too by laying down with him but he still kept pushing away and jumping up. Finally, I threw him in the car and went on a drive. I drove about 10 miles before he finally fell asleep. He woke up once a few minutes after I laid him down in his bed but I only had to rock him for a minute and he's been asleep since. Of course that was only 2 1/2 hours ago so we'll see how long it lasts.
I think he's also about to get a new tooth or teeth because he keeps gnawing on my fingers and pulling on his ear. So maybe that's a partial cause of him waking up so often but I've given him teething tablets and it doesn't seem to extend his sleeping length. I've looked at a couple books and gotten some advice from friends and family, I just need to stick to it and let him cry it out I guess. But before he finally sleeps through the night on his own, I may end up bald from pulling my hair out in frustration!