Hannah, that post does indeed go back two years, to 2006 -- I got an email today notifying me of your post and here I am.

I never got a definitive answer from any of my doctors. When I spoke to the MS neurologist, he said he was unsure but if it ever happened again to call immediately and he would put me on an anti-viral, probably Acyclovir (or whatever is newer by this time). The endocrinologist said he thought it likely was shingles, and he thought he saw the beginnings of a rash on my arm -- he sent me off to a dermatologist who said you could get shingles on your trunk, and that might include the breast.

So what did I do? I put up with it for a long time. During the day I wore the tightest sports bra that I could bear -- somehow binding the breast, while it didn't cure the problem seemed to give me some semblance of relief. At night I slept with one breast outside the sheets, like an Amazon, and sometimes just cried myself to sleep in exhaustion.

And one day, just the way it started, the pain went away without a trace of warning.

I still believe it was shingles without the the rash, and if I ever have that sensation again anywhere on my body I will rush to the doctor -- any doctor -- and insist on treatment.

I'm so sorry that you don't have the means to consult a physician. Are there any clinics associated with hospitals that you might go to for a free or very inexpensive examination?

I'd hate to think of someone going thru what I went thru -- not that I got any help from the physicians I went to, but now I would know what to push for!