Ugh, shingles...I had a bout of that on my belly maybe 3 years ago. Mine was VERY mild and caught early, so I got on anti-virals fast. My bumps never ruptured and I had no long-term, lingering pain.

Might you be a candidate for the vaccine? It's something I've wondered about for myself. Contrary to popular belief, one can develop shingles repeatedly. It sounds like you may be one of the chronic sufferers.

I think I was prone to shingles because I already have autoimmune issues (allergies, asthma, endometriosis) + the stress put on my body from running. Generally the vaccine is only given to older folks, but I wonder if exceptions would be made for younger, healthy people like us who have already shown a tendency to developing outbreaks.