I am curious why no one has yet mentioned Valtrex,
http://www.valtrex.com/shingles/speed_healing.html
It seems that if you are worried about getting shingles, you should have this in your medicine cabinet (unless otherwise contraindicated).
By the way, I got shingles a few years ago during a time of no stresss at all and was told it happened because the
herpes zoster virus lies dormant from childhood chickenpox and then erupts again in the 40s.
I was also told not to worry about it again. Is this only true for men?
I realize this is the Women Travelers Forum but I am surprised to see all these stories of repeated bouts of this condition.
Also, as a reference point, if Techgirl took Vicodin for pain, that was
some pain. I was prescribed this drug once--when I broke a bone.