Saved PSD file re-opened with no layers and blank colored background - Need help recovering layers

I have been working on a photoshop painting for a few hours now, with intermittant saving. I had saved it a number of times throughout my painting process. I had multiple layers with work on each layer. when my tablet pen started acting weird - No big deal - it happens every once and a while. Rather than just working with it I decided I'd just save my file, close out, restart my tablet, and keep paintng. 

When I re-opened my file it was completely empty - all my layers deleted - and the background layer was black. Everything is gone!! I'm SO confused - I've never had this happen to me - even if it had reverted to the last save AND I had never saved it throughout the whole process - the file was never a black colored background! I had even started the file on my laptop with some reference images before transfering it over to my tablet - so it HAD to atleast have the refrence images because the file didn't exist on my tablet without it. 

I thought it may be an issue with my tablet so I emailed myself the file to open it up on my laptop. When I downloaded it I was relieved because the thumbnail image had my work!! I could see everything I had done before restarting. BUT - when I opened the file it was the same as it had been on my tablet - no layers, no work, just a black background layer. I can tell it MUST still have my work hiddin in the file somewhere because of the thumbnail - but also the file is big! Way bigger than a blank PSD file. 

PLEASE HELP! This is so weird and I'm nervous to even start a new project because it may just crash and lose all my work anyway! How can I get my work back??

Any suggestions are deeply appreciated!!

(If you've seen this post before it's because I posted this an hour ago and someone reporded it as spam - I don't know why. I'm seriously struggling you guys lol and am desperate for any help on recovering my file)