I have had shingles for the last three weeks. I have experienced itching, blisters, etc. My friend told me to rub apple cider vinegar over the areas affected. My itching went away and 2 days ago my shingles went away. Call me crazy but it worked as it did for him.

I am 44 years old and have had shingle three times already. My cases were mild because I did go to the doctor right away. If you can get to a doctor and get the antibiotic in your body within 72 hours of seeing the outbreak, it will help but not heal. My first experience, the doctor asked me if I wanted pain meds. I said no, but two days later I called back and pleaded for something. There is a neurological pain med that helped more than anything else. Ask your doctor and go as quickly as you suspect you may have shingles! I broke out last night and couldn't get into a doctorr today because of the holidays. But I am going first thing in the AM and will still be within my 72 time frame.

I am 50 year old and I had shingle last year but the doctor I saw at the emergency room did the wrong diagnostic, so it was late for me to be vaccinate. I had a lot of pain for three days but after that I had a good drug for pain from my MD doctor, i got much better and without trace and so I was very lucky that it was only on my back. For me it must be the right medication and everything will be in order. Hope you get better.

I have had shingles for most of my life. It seams to attack my face. I get it on my eye sockets, eye brows, and face. I am 64 years old. My mother also suffered with this. I have had three weeks of it this time, first on the left side of my face, and now on the right. I have been given Aciclovir for the first time ever, and it seams to be helping. I was always told there wasn't a lot that could be done and for it to run its course. Maybe they think differently now.

I started with shingles on my left side. It started creeping up my left side gradually. Fortunately I have no pain. A rash occurred but by the time it reached my lips they were puffed out to twice their side. I have had frequent visits to my internist and my eye doctor. It is considered to be caused by stress.

My shingles started on the top of my head and also on my eye lid. The portion on my eye lid made it feel like there was a foreign body in my eye and the eye was scratched. The eye specialist said there was nothing on my eye but the rash was not large enough to notice at that stage. It then grew to my forehead and nose and it quickly struck me as a problem. I got into see a doctor and he gave me the antiviral meds and told me to get back to the eye doctor to make sure it was not on my eye ball because it could cause a loss of vision if untreated on the eye. It took 5 days and I am finally seeing the rash heal.

I received the prevention shot for shingles Oct. 2011. The next day I had the shingles. Three doctors said they had never heard of anyone getting them from the prevention shot. Wrong. I have gone through a living hell for over a year. My right hand has been numb since I got the shingles. I had surgery on it to release the nerves in my hand and elbow. It only half worked. Now I have to see the doctor again. I had more nerve tests and I now have a blockage in some nerves in my arm. The shingles were in my hand, all the way up to my elbow. I will probably have surgery on this too. I went to physical therapy. That only made it worse. The pain is like when I first got the shingles. At times, I want to scream. If you haven't had the shot, I advise you not to get it. You may end up with messed up nerves and a numb hand that you can't even do your housework.

I am a healthy 62 year old female. I received the shingles vaccine one year ago and developed shingles two weeks later. I knew what it was and started Val Acyclovir within 48 hours, a good thing. The outbreak started on the right side of my chest and moved around to my back. It lasted a couple of weeks, and the pain a month. I managed the pain with Aleve. I couldn't sleep for a week, but took nothing for that. Today it is starting again on my left side.