The virus lives in the dorsal root ganglia along the spine.

It can be activated by stress, reduced immune function, or eating foods high in arginine. Arginine activates the cell nucleus to divide. There are lists of foods on a herpes site..
I'll try to find it, for you. Balancing arginine with lysine helps too. Lysine is easy to take and not expensive.

Here is one list showing both amino acids in common foods:
http://www.herpes.com/Nutrition.shtml

I used to see activated shingles in nursing home patients, who often were giving high arginine food supplements like Arginaid for helping heal bedsores. They commonly then developed shingles and that was painful to witness!

Your drug is probably Famvir.

Successful use of the Famvir may allow you relief and you may not need the Lidoderms. I don't need them for my neck. I just put an icepack there where I get twinges. I also take lysine 1 or 2 grams a day for 2 weeks if I feel my arm starting up. My husband got shingles from a spider/bee sting but he doesn't have lingering pain either. He was pruning something in the bushes, and the next day he had a welt on his arm which then caused a huge bruise all the way down his arm.
Several days later, he developed shingles from it all. He didn't feel the bite at all.. so I don't think it was a bee sting, but we never did figure that out.

So not everyone needs the Lidoderms. Many insurances will not cover them, without a previous diagnosis. I use them for my PN and back pain... lucky me! This is because they are only FDA approved for post herpetic neuralgia, and are very expensive so the insurances balk to save money with this excuse. I find them very useful. I've been using them for my pain issues since they became available here.

I think you'll find the Famvir will help alot.