I am sorry that I am late to this discussion. I have heartfelt empathy for ANYONE suffering from this often invisible torture. I don't know how helpful I can be, but I will share my continuing agony with PHN.
Have you talked with your doctor? I'm certain you have, but needed to ask because you should always consult your doctor.
In late May/early June of 2014, I was struggling with drug trials through PM, trying to find a way to somehow manage my intractable pain (that had culminated over my lifetime). I was "opiate naive" so my body was not responding well to any pain med we tried. The stress of PM plus exacerbated pain contributed to my "virgin outbreak" of Shingles virus. I thought at first I was having an allergic reaction in my eye. The entire eyelid was swollen and blistered. I had just started a "new" kind of eyeliner, so I thought "that's it". After 24 hours of no use of product, my eye was getting much worse.
My doctor knew upon sight it was Shingles...What? How could this be? I'm too young for this! I had no clue I could have gotten the anti-viral injection at age 50! Too late now. I could see the fear and desperation in her eyes, though she tried to comfort me. She aggressively treated w/dosepak of prednisone, decadron injection and Acyclovir. She also prescribed eye drops with steroids. (Early and aggressive treatment should reduce onset of PHN...should.) My face and eye continued to bubble and blister into a monstrous proportions. The burning felt like my face was shoved into a fire pit. My poor eyeball looked as if blood would shoot violently from it at any moment. (Of course, it didn't...but it remains scarred and red)
I am still in HELL with this virus @ 9+ months...yes, 9 months. I continue to have blistering around my eye/face/scalp. These feelings are accompanied by a "fire ant colony" sensation underneath my skin. Every follicle of my scalp feels like it's wiggling and itching. It sometimes hurts to just "think". The deep scars in my eyebrow still itch until I scratch so hard they reopen=(
I reluctantly started low dose Neurontin (generic) and remain @ 400 mgx 3 day. Some say this is not a true therapeutic dosage. However, this med has never agreed with me in the past. I have taken more cycles of Acyclovir/Valtrex than I can count. All I can do is treat the symptoms, as blood tests show the antibodies are still raging and aggressive. YAY ME! My eyesight has been seriously degraded since onsight, though I was fortunate it did not infiltrate my cornea. It would have caused blindness.
Both my GP and PM told me last week that my less than existent (compromised) immune system leaves me as prey to this virus and subsequent long term PHN. Like everything else, I must learn to "live" with this.
I'm so very sorry for anyone who is enduring the pain of Shingles. I BEG FOLKS to consider the anti-viral injection. It's no guarantee. However, even my hindsight isn't 20/20 because the virus has damaged my eye.
Please consult your doctor for available options for treatment.
Hugs~~Dixie