I wanted to share an update on my [original post](applewebdata://A2DD1175-53AB-40E7-9859-F8B265E52416/PASTE_ORIGINAL_REDDIT_POST_URL_HERE), because when this started, I spent hours searching for people who had experienced something similar and eventually recovered.
Note: Long post. I used AI to help with the wording and proofreading so it’s easy to read.
I’m 36, otherwise healthy, and this is my first time having shingles. My case seems a little unusual, and even after seeing several doctors, I still don’t have a clear explanation for everything that happened. I’m sharing the timeline in case someone else is going through something similar.
October 1–3: The pain started before the rash
It began around 1 AM with right lower back pain and extreme sensitivity over my right thigh. Even my clothes touching my skin felt like something sharp was scratching me.
Within a day, the pain spread to my right hip, waist, groin, pubic area, and part of my scrotum. I also developed deep pelvic and groin pain, followed by absolutely brutal electric-shock-like attacks radiating down my inner thigh to below my knee.
Each attack lasted seconds, but at one point they were happening every 30 seconds. I genuinely thought I had a pinched nerve in my back.
On October 3, a small cluster of tiny blisters appeared on my inner thigh/groin. I started valacyclovir that day, and because my presentation was unusually complicated, the course was extended to 10 days.
October 4–10: The worst pain started improving
I briefly took oral steroids but stopped following specialist advice. I also tried Lyrica for three days, then stopped because my first neurologist felt it wasn’t necessary during the acute stage unless I developed long-term nerve pain.
I saw both a neurologist and an infectious disease specialist. A lumbar MRI showed bulging discs at L4–L5 and L5–S1, but those findings couldn’t explain all my symptoms.
Thankfully, around October 7–10, the horrible stabbing attacks gradually disappeared, and by October 10–11, the blisters had dried up.
I thought I was almost done. Unfortunately, something else happened.
The strangest part: burning skin sensitivity across my right side
Although the rash was limited to my right thigh/groin and buttock, the burning sensitivity spread across much of the right side of my body, including my shoulder, arm, chest, abdomen, waist, back, and parts of my leg.
The left side was completely normal.
Even a soft cotton shirt brushing against my skin felt like rubbing something against a fresh scald burn. Sometimes I could lie still without pain, but the slightest movement of my clothes would immediately trigger it.
Sometimes the pain even felt deeper than the skin, especially around my abdomen and waist.
Apparently, this is called allodynia, meaning that something normally painless, like clothing touching your skin, becomes painful.
The extent of it was frightening, especially because it spread so far beyond the rash.
October 13–18: Where things stand now
I saw a second neurologist, who recommended restarting Lyrica regularly and using lidocaine patches. My first neurologist still didn’t think Lyrica was necessary and suggested amitriptyline 10 mg instead, which I haven’t started because of possible interactions with my other medications.
I’m currently taking Lyrica 75 mg twice daily and using lidocaine patches for 12 hours a day.
The burning sensitivity is still present, mainly around my right abdomen and waist, with milder symptoms across the right side of my trunk, front and back. Thankfully, my arm and lower leg no longer seem affected.
I still have back pain, but the terrible electric shocks are essentially gone. I’m hoping the smaller affected area means things are gradually improving.
Both hot and cold compresses seem to help a little, although they might just distract me from the pain.
And as if shingles wasn’t enough, I also developed a flu-like respiratory infection with a nasty cough, fever, and fatigue during the second week.
The reason I’m sharing this
Two weeks ago, I was experiencing some of the worst pain of my life. Today, the stabbing attacks are gone, the rash has healed considerably, and some of the burning sensitivity seems to be improving.
I’m definitely not fully recovered, and I still worry about long-term nerve pain and whether shingles might come back. I’m even considering the shingles vaccine once I’ve recovered.
But I’m trying to focus on the progress rather than the worst-case scenarios I’ve read online.
If you’re newly diagnosed and terrified by what you’re reading here, please remember that recovery stories may be underrepresented because people who get better often move on and stop posting.
I’m still recovering myself, but I’ve already improved significantly in just over two weeks. Hopefully that gives someone a little reassurance.
I’d love to hear from anyone who experienced burning skin sensitivity beyond their rash, took Lyrica or used lidocaine patches, or had similar deep back, pelvic, or abdominal pain.
Most importantly, if you had shingles in your 20s, 30s, or 40s and eventually recovered completely, please share your story. How long did the remaining nerve pain take to disappear?
Hopefully my next update will be about feeling completely normal again.
Thanks to everyone who commented on my original post. Your experiences and reassurance have genuinely helped.
