I have had shingles before, look it up if you dont know what that is. Its VERY painful and it is related to nerves endings from what I remember. Anyway it went up the left side of my face and temple and scalp only, a rash hurt real bad and left a scar. I didnt know at the time but VALTREX will most of the time heal you from shingles as it did me. That was 5 years ago, last year that same area started hurting just exactly as all of you are talking about. I had a bottle of VALTREX on hand took it it went away. Now July 2009 the right side of my temple skin is hurting to the touch, nothing visiable very sensitive ect. Im about to start VALTREX again. I recieved shingles 5 years ago due to a very stressful transition in my life. My body was reacting by cause my nerve ending to create a very painful and ugly rash, its stems from the faimly of cold sores, chicken pocks as a kid things like that. I am under the same amount of stress ringht now, are you. Thats what brought mine on, STRESS. Cold sores are a form of herpese (no not sexual diseases) well VALTREX is a herpeses medication. Which alarmed me, but my Doctor assured me its not the same thing and I didnt contract a sexual disease. So u may have the onset of SHINKLES.....