So, I lost my follower (who, annoyingly, also happens to be my character's wife) during a fast traveling glitch, and when I try to recruit a new follower, I am told that I have a follower...Although I clearly don't.

Anyway, I'm sure you guys know this glitch well.

What I'm asking is, is there a way I can fix it without a backup save (which I don't have...) and without having to lose my main character. Btw, I killed off the Dark Brotherhood, finished all the Companion quests, and gave the Blades all their recruits...

Playing the game on one save is not a good idea, even on the PC where we can fix things.

How long ago did you lose this follower? It takes them 73 game hours before they decide to start walking home, then up to 10 game days to get there. Not sure where in that process you can get another follower. Of course, if they got lost in the void, then they may never dismiss themselves.

Its been at least 3 in game days (not totally sure as I've been fast traveling a lot). Should I just wait for a while then?