I was diagnosed with shingles almost 10 years ago. I kept getting weird blisters mainly on the sides of my toes and nowhere else. When they popped, they itched real bad and very painful. I ended up at the doctor's office and they told me there is nothing I can do for it. The doctor asked me when did I have chicken pox and told him it was in November of ‘93. The last couple years, I've noticed I would get one or two blisters on my fingers besides on my feet and now I have one on my lip. I do get cold sores, but this one is totally different. Hopefully when I see my new doctor, he can give me something for this.

I had what I thought was osteoarthritis on my right index finger for about two weeks. It got so bad I went to my doctor. Two days later I noticed a sore between my index finger and my middle finger. I decided to go to the emergency room of our local hospital. The nurse immediately diagnosed it as shingles.

My daughter is seven and has just been diagnosed with shingles. She has had a headache for two days now.

It started in the top part of my back, my breast area, and under my arm became very sore then tingling and burning. I knew from having shingles about a year ago on my face. That hurt nowhere as bad as this. I'm depressed and in major pain. I sat in a clinic for six hours. All the nurse gave me was some cream made from peppers and Advil. I am in so much pain and this could last up to 30 days. I WILL GO CRAZY.

I am a 39 year old female and have been living with outbreaks of shingles over the last 10 years as I have herpes zoster. I have always been told it is not contagious but I have at least two attacks every year, usually in the face with severe nerve pain and rash. This time it is on my back with rash over chest and arms and a lot of back pain. I keep medication on standby at home in case of an outbreak. I live in a small village and I believe I have found a connection that when chickenpox is going about I develop the shingles.

I noticed 5 red spots on my mid arm and 3 red spots on my upper arm. It was not itchy and not watery. After a week I went to a doctor and she pricked one spot to get a sample for lab test. The spots were almost dry. She confirmed after 2 weeks that it was indeed shingles but not contagious. She gave me Zovirax ointment on my first visit but nothing on my second. She told me I could take pain relievers if the pain persists.

I had a spot to show up on my lower leg when I was 4 years old. The pediatrician told my mother it was shingles, which came from chickenpox. I have been having breakouts from 18 years old until present. Stress brings it on. If I get upset or worried about anything!

Has anyone tried ice packs? I had a terrible burning pain in my right low back that also ran down my leg. Thinking it was sciatica I started using ice packs on the spot that hurt. (I also had upset stomach and headache.) A few days later a painful rash of blisters appeared on my right foot between my toes. I didn't realize it was shingles until a similar but much smaller line of blisters appeared on the aching spot on my low back too. Ice seemed to help ease the pain of the blisters on my low back, so out of desperation I started ice on my toes as well (which were much worse) and it helped relieve the pain right away. I have been putting ice packs on both places twice a day for a week now and the rashes have stayed small and the pain is gone for hours, even lasting all night if I do the ice before bed.

I have been diagnosed with shingles on the trigemminal nerve near my ear. The pain is 12 on a 0-10 scale.

For a week I suffered with stabbing pain in my right hip, thigh, down the leg and into the arch of my foot. I thought it was back pain and wore a kidney belt for three days. On the four day a spot appeared -- not itchy, just red. The next day it spread in several places on the shin. The next day, I was able to see my primary physician and he diagnosed shingles right away. I am only 4 hours into the antiviral medication plus Tylenol 3 and it is working for the pain. Hopefully the rest will dry up soon.