ok here we are again went to see the dr and the shrink ........for those who have read my post you know i have been on a relentless battle with the vetrans administration trying to figure out why i keep breaking out with shingles as of friday i am on my 8th episode in 3 yrs normally each episode had been between 3 months to 6 months apart stress no stress cold flu no cold no flu i just keep breaking out i keep trying to figure out why my dr keeps insisting i see a psycoligist ........i went to the houston va office vs my local office they told me my office had to release me fortunalty houston va worked around that issue and i had their first video web appt and he to agrees my dr is an idiot and why the hell he nerve realized that my shingles was causeing nerve damage and has me seeing a rhumatoligist vs a neuroligist fortunatly he's able to prescribe medication that may help but he's astonished because all you have to do is google shingles and if not treated withing the first days postherpatic neuralgia sets in causing nerve damage lasting months even yrs ( my dr had no clue ) litrally told me and my husband this is out of his league , he was upset i insisted on seeing a neuroligist and refused my request to see a gastrologist and dermatoligist i'm now starting what i call my medicine cocktail 27 pills a day i'm sitting her blogging lagging taking my first dose cause it makes me so sick i just went through this last month and all my dr wants to do is put a band aid on my symptoms , the psycologist has given me anti seizure medication and something else my dr said that should help with the pain and just come in when you have an out break and we'll start you back on the anti viral medication .......i cant be taking 20 pills of 1 medication 2000 mg a day every time i have a break out my last shingles out break was less than 6 weeks ago there is an under lying problem .....his response to me trying to be proactive was well unfortunatly your one of those people who gets the virus early in life .....oh geeze so we just give up on me ? just give me pills and expect tp live the rest of my life on pain pills and anti virus medication ............this is why people are getting hooked on pain pills dr.s dont want to fix the underlying problem just mask it and why so many people are dying from prescribtion medication . i had to stop taking the anti depresants my dr had me on because i was not only wanting to rip my skin off from the pain the medication was making me suicidal the combination is soo dangerious i sat in my kitchen crying my eyes out , it takes every ounce of coping mechanism to deal day to day with pain and add this oh no no no no . i finaly goty my records from when i was active duty and my lab work showed i had the anti bodies for chicken pox and i was given a chicken pox vaccine ( i also had a cold) and days later while i'm still sick i break my legs . we could never understand why i wasnt healing i spent 5 months in physical therapy rehab but never got treatment for my shingles it was brushed off as a rash or spider bite ................yeah i'm scared the girl i worked cq desk with and who's bunk was across from mine had spider bites that got infected same location over and over 3 surgeries ........she died recently about 2 weeks ago now her husband saw her bleeding from her nose went to check on her and she was gone and yes the swelling from the neuralgia can effect my brain i have to keep fighting ....fingers crossed i see the director to the va in my town i worked the system and insisted on a female dr for my well women check up and the director is the only female and i'm going files in hand high lighted and post it sliver markers to point out pages and paragrphs . well i'm off to take my first 5 pills of the day uhg seriously i hate this i dang near am drawn to tears knowing what this medicine does to me