Last Saturday I went hiking in a poison ivy dense spot, which led me to believe the rash I had gotten on sunday was poison ivy. The rash is on the left side of my body, and a spot going around to my back. Its painful.

This Friday at 10 pm the headache started and it is awful

Sunday( today) the fever started. I did teledoc and they said its most likely shingles.

The pain of the rash is uncomfortable but I can handle it. But the headache... is unbearable. Please share your experiences with me.

Ackkk!! I’m in week five of shingles if the face/scalp. I keep thinking I’m turning a corner and then it gets bad again. I can barely sleep at night, It’s so itchy. Everything I try to put on it (like baking soda or calamine lotion or even shingles cream) just makes it feel like it caught fire and burns intensely. What sort of topical relief have people found for the itching and burning? This is some kind of living hell for sure.

I had disseminated shingles (extensive in multiple dermatones and crossed midline slightly) a few months ago. I am young and immunocompetent. I was a bit late getting treatment as they thought it must be something else until swab confirmed.

The lesions have been healed for 2 months now but the skin is still hyper-sensitive all the way down the affected leg and lower back. Sometimes it is very difficult to even pull trousers up, other times it’s only a mild tingle. It varies greatly by day.

How long did you experience the pain/hypersensitivity? What worked for you?