Ugh, I am so sorry, Shannon. I've heard from friends of mine that shingles is about the worst pain they had ever had. I hope the anti-virals shorten the duration of this for you and that it clear up soon.

I hope you start feeling better soon. The frozen pajamas trick is brilliant! I need to remember to mention that to my sister who gets shingles every year. She's too young for the shingles vaccine (mid-30's).

Hey there Shannon! Was just thinking of you. How are you feeling now? Hope your absence means you are taking a lot of rest and recovering x

Yes Shannon - how are you doing? Missing you around here...I hope you are feeling better.

Update Nov. 5th: Well you are all such lovely ladies and I can't thank you enough for your well wishes and concern - as I said to Angie the other day, this is a truly magical place

I'm over the worst of the shingles now and it's down to a dull ache/annoying level. I'm so glad I got on the anti virals as quickly as I did - IMHO they made a HUGE difference in the duration and pain level.

I'm still quite exhausted by the end of the day though as my body continues to fight the virus. I understand that this can take a while to completely dissipate. I'm grateful that I didn't miss any work during an incredibly busy time and my "boys" at home totally stepped up to the plate so I could be in bed by 8:30 each night.

For those of you who have sent me PM's (you know who you are!), your thoughtfulness totally touched my heart. I've actually been going through some personal stuff lately and doing a lot of thinking about priorities, balance and figuring out what makes me happy. In fact, I had decided to pull back from YLF as part of my "life restructuring project". But I realize from my time away that this is a place that fulfills my creativity and my passion for people. The community here is really something very special - I haven't met 99% of the Fabbers in real life and yet you all feel like friends. It stinks to be an "all or nothing" personality so I tend to think I need to participate at a 100% level and buy all the wonderful items shown in order to be part of the Team - and so I just need to figure out my level of participation that keeps me fulfilled but level headed. Face it ladies - I think you might be stuck with me

Thanks again everyone - love y'all.

So glad to hear the anti-virals worked well. It is hard to stay away, isn't it? I try to keep it in check and remind myself routinely, it's not just about shopping/buying things, it's about friendship with people who share interests. I'm trying to keep my focus on mostly updating my shoes and only buying a couple of other things per season. And resisting the urge to buy even more jackets/coats when I can barely wear the ones I have with our mild winters!

So glad you're feeling better Shannon and you'd better stick around lady!

I'm so glad to hear you're feeling better.

Shannon, I am so glad you are feeling better and that you decided to stay with us.

Shannon, I was just thinking of you and wondering how you were doing! I'm glad to hear that you are over the hump and on the way to recovery. =)

Hi Shannon. Glad to see you are on the mend and have reconciled your YLF participation. I understand the tendency to be a bit OCD about something you are passionate about. Some of us tend to be all or nothing types and it takes a lot of self-control to manage it.

I am confident that you will work it through and come up with a solution that is right for you and for your family.