I am in my fourth week of the shingles. I started out with excruciating pain in my back and midriff. I went to emergency and they thought it was gallbladder problems because I had no outbreak. I was put on hydrocodone and saw my doctor about 4 days later. I was going nuts with pain. Then I broke out in hives and they figured out it was shingles. I took Valtrex and prednisone and something starting with a G.I am now rash free but am still on the hydros and 2 pain patches a day. What a terrible virus!!! I can't wait to be pain free.

I recently came across a bulge on my lower right pelvic area and assumed it was a hernia... A day later I developed a rash on the same side but on my buttocks. Turns out it wasn't a hernia and instead a swollen lymph node. Also before any of these symptoms appeared I had lost a great amount of sensation in both feet and lower legs. I have just started treatment: Valtrex and methylprednosolone, and am hoping for a speedy recovery, my best wishes to the others out there with this condition.

My symptons started with pain in my right thigh. Thinking that I had overused a machine at the gym I thought I had pulled a muscle. Then I thought about sciatic pain. Five days later I broke out in a quarter size rash on my hip bone so I went to the doctor and she said I had shingles. It is the most painful thing I had ever had. I am taking antiviral medication and pain pills. I broke out from my hip almost to the knee from front to back. Wearing clothes is difficult and the buring fire and itching pain in terrrible.

I am into my 4th week of shingles the doctor has given me pain medicine and it has helped but my nerve endings feel like there on fire. I have been cutting stems from an aloe plant and putting the juices on the burning places. What a relief because it can be applied as often as needed. Try it out. Without it, I would have gone nuts. Good Luck!

After a day of high fever, I noticed a golf ball sized rash under my right armpit and, thinking it might be a tick bite, went immediately to the doctor. He diagnosed shingles and put me on a weeklong dosage of Valtrex. That seemed to stop the progress of shingles as I did not suffer any itchy rash or chicken pox pustules. The original rash did dissipate and eventually became a sunburn-like redness around my right side from breastbone to backbone. It is now 6 weeks after treatment and some redness persists and small itchy welts appear and disappear in a day. I'm assuming it is mild shingles running its course but it is not exceedingly itchy or painful as I have heard other shingles sufferers mention.

I was just diagnosed with shingles and placed on Valtrex. I am presently at home from work due to the possibility of giving others chickenpox.

I recently treated an 89 year old female who suffered from ‘shingles' for approximately 4 months. Her physician told her that there was no cure. She awoke several times a night to put soothing lotion on her body. She was run down from lack of sleep and had open lesions on her side and abdomen. After the first treatment she reported that her itching and pain had stopped. Her shingles were treated every other day for 8 days (4 treatments). Her lesions had healed completely and treatment was terminated. A follow up after 10 months found that no post herpetic neuralgia had developed and there was no recurrence of the shingles.

I was diagnosed with shingles about two years ago and after about a year of frequent outbreaks, they all of the sudden stopped for around eight months. I just recently had a new case and after a full treatment of Acyclavir everything went away but returned within five days. So, I'm on another regiment of medication and I hope this wipes it out. I am planning on seeing my doctor about daily suppressive treatment. My outbreaks occur on my upper buttocks in the exact same area every time. I have noticed that on my last outbreak that I may have wrap around effects on my front side. I hope this is not the case for the future.

I felt the sensations on my chest leading round to my back then on day 5, came the rash. I'm taking Famvir for the virus and Vicodin for pain. Second day I over medicated on the Vicodin and experienced dizziness and episodes of "dry heaves". I did this on an empty stomach hence the throw-up was yellow bile. NOTE: I had the Shingles Shot two years ago! This is day 8 and the pain is minimal but the blistering is increasing.

Application of Brookskin liniment is great for the neuro-pain that follows shingles. It's inexpensive and almost instantly effective in removing the pain. You have to reapply several times a day.