I had shingles in my mid 30s.

Before I broke out in earnest, my back itched intensely, and I scratched it with a knitting needle.

Once things got going, I sat in Aveeno oatmeal baths, and I took opiates for the pain. Reports are that I was pretty much in a cloud, but still have plenty of memories of severe pain. I also slathered my back with aloe vera and wore cotton t-shirts and sort of loved the feeling of peeling the t-shirt off when it was stuck on and dried.

I didn't go to work at all because there were medically fragile kids and because one colleague was undergoing chemo at the time. I would have been completely useless anyway, because normal clothes were torture and I'd have screamed at anyone who touched me.

Happily, everything resolved and I have no residual pain---except for every now and then, when I am at maximum stress, that one little place on my back that I could only reach with the knitting needle gets a focused stingy itch. When that happens I know it's time to relax and pull out the big guns of stress management.

I wish you the best.