Shingles.

[KennyR]

Eow - very painful. Best get those zovirax tablets from the doctor as soon as possible.

Herpes zoster sucks...

[KennyR]

Yes, it's a virus, but it damages the skin and allows bacteria in, and they can do more damage than the virus can.

I don't fancy the sensation of putting any kind of cream on a shingles rash, though. Ouch!

[KennyR]

Get well soon, but I want to mention something to get you prepared for it. The rash is only the first part of the infection, even if it does feel like you've been boiled.

After that you get pain in your nerves (posttheraputic neuralgia) caused by the damage that can last months longer. When my father had shingles, he got this particularly badly in his left arm for several months. You get another cream (zostrix) to deal with this. It takes weeks to work but will shorten the neuralgia recovery period a lot.