Layed Up With Shingles

The last week or so I have been layed up with shingles.  I contemplated sharing this but this is my blog and this is what is happening currently.  
Shingles turns out to be more dangerous than I thought.  I had started out feeling sharp pain in the back left of my head and it spread along side to the forehead.  Left side was tender.  I tried knocking out the constant pain, which fluctuated from a dull roar to very sharp stabbing around the head and left eye, with acetaminophen and ibuprofen which did nothing (I found out later that this is nerve pain which is not affected by those meds).

The pain started increasing around the left eye and noticed redness in the eye. 
The pain increased and rashes started appearing around the upper portion of eye lid and eyebrow.  When they spread to the forehead I figured it was shingles and went to doctor who confirmed.  I was sent to the ophthalmologist who thankfully indicated that the interior of the eyes were clear and nerves untouched.  Exterior was a different story, lots of pain and throbbing.  
I found out that shingles can cause blindness and as I heard stories from other people there are a whole host of damage that can be done. 
The rashes spread to my nose and up the scalp to the back of my head.  My eye swelled up and could not open it for 2 days with secretion that dried between eyelids.  
I have had a whole range of pain from constant bearable pain even after meds to feeling like sharp electrons spinning around my brain with severe pain that would last about an hour.
  
The crazy thing is, I was going to get vaccinated for this in April!  

I am feeling much better today, actually able to focus on something. Swelling is still there around inner eye and nose, rashes are beginning to heal.  Still having pain but not as severe.

Timeline from the first pain in head is now 9 days.  

Here are a couple of pics of the progression: The first shows the very beginning of the eye swelling and closing, it got worse over the next couple of days.

 I share this because for those who are over 50 and had chicken pox and have not had vaccine for shingles please go get vaccinated.  It is not worth the pain and potential permanent damage.