I'm 54 year old woman. Last month I had an attack of severe emotional pain. I couldn't do anything. This has happened to me three or four times in the past two years. This time I kept a close watch at what happened. It lasted about 40 minutes. I have mental illness but this is new. It took 8 days to recover fully. During that time I got pain in my neck and left shoulder down my back. I got a rash in the middle of my back on the left side a couple days later. I had no idea. I left for a trip to see my daughter get married planning on traveling and visiting people over the next month. Someone told me it looked like shingles but I thought if it was it was a mild case because the pain went away and the rash was small. It did seem to spread under my left arm and under my breast but just a few bumps. The only difference was that they crusted over and they are still there six weeks later! I went to the doctor today because five days ago a terrible ache started under my shoulder blade. Over the past couple days the pain spread through to my chest. The rash was never all that bad but this pain is intolerable. It makes me cry! At night is the worst. So now I am on pain meds and hoping that I don't have nerve damage. I wish I had not let this go on so long. What is interesting is that the month before I was exposed to shingles while visiting a friend with them. I think I caught them from her even though I had chicken pox as a child. I am otherwise very healthy and never get sick, although I do have a dissociative disorder that is pretty tough to deal with 24/7. So that might have triggered the immune deficiency. But I was exposed and stayed at her house. I also was re-exposed on returning home from another friend too. I never have seen so many people with shingles in my life.

Quickly...1978, first round of Herpes, and future bouts came with a sticker pain in right ear, traveled down to mouth causing Herpes outbreak. Years of this. Fast forward to near 50 years old. Headache where half of face itched, stung, burned, ached in right temple, ear ache, worst headache ever. Neuralgic pain as well. Doctor prescribed meds for migraine. No success. Still got the headaches, aching, and itching and neuralgia, ear pain. Pain jumps from ear to eye to forehead to cheek to teeth back to temple. Eyelid burns and did have droopy eyelid about a year ago. Prescribed Neurontin from neurologist. Helps. I don't know if it is shingles or herpes. I did only have 1 or 2 extremely painful pimples, twice in temple area, another time once on temple, chin. Get "hot spots" on half of affected side of head like neuralgia. Mostly confined to the right side, where original Herpes symptoms started. Deal with on a monthly basis. Just getting over a bout, having itching in the area and have to be careful not to get upset, as if it isn't "finished", will get another round of it. This time, dull ache temples, eye pain, nose pain, burning eyelid and eye blurry, itching. Neurontin. I don't know what I would do without it. I feel like I am the only person who has this and hope that this helps if there is anyone out there with similar symptoms.

After a month of low back pain, I was diagnosed with shingles. I am now an antiviral medication and Advil for pain. I have been under a large amount of stress (holidays, mom having a heart attack, work etc.). The best thing is to get treated soon.

I first had an ear ache in my ear canal. I was treated but then a day later developed a spot on my tongue. I went to the doctor and was put on another antibiotic. Then I had this numb feeling on my head. I went to the E.R. with a rash on my neck. I was told I had shingles. Two days later the pain and burning was so intense only on my head, and only on the right side of my head. My ear had spots inside and out. My face had a few as well. My head was so bad I was sobbing in pain. I went again to the doctor and was given antiviral medications and Percocet which was the miracle pain medication for me. It took approximately 6 weeks and I am now pain free and rash free.

This has been going on for about 15 years. I'm 52 now, however the more frequent the bouts and the more painful. It usually starts by a huge sweaty night of sleep and chills the next day, just as if to get a cold sore the body in whole is achy and tired, I could fall asleep standing in the mid of this. The face nose ear and my neck swells on one side always the same symptoms, it seems but I have been keeping log this one I'm entering now has already taken a week and my mid back is numb small blisters under breast none yet in my ear or nose but left eye and teeth hurt when I blink, eyes water, I have 4 blister type bumps on my chin and jaw and my feet and legs starting to hurt, oh I left the feeling of fire on my whole body. The neck pain has only been the last 2 times but lately at least 2or 3 weeks rest and 6 of pain. My doctor wants to take me from pain meds, are you kidding me I'm in search of new doctor, no one sees anyone new here is a small town. I am so stuck you can't imagine. I am getting rheumatoid arthritis and have had osteoarthritis for a long time, I remember at age of 19 I used to before my cycle have this same thing but my doctor told me is chicken pox. Well off to be and so far until I can find a real doctor I am on Norco 10/325. I dose myself about 2 pills about 4 to 6 hours. Then when not in this much pain I take 1 6 to 8 hours. Good luck and I hope all is well.