Has anyone here dealt with post herpetic neuralgia?

[Vinca]

For the past month I've been suffering from a complication of a case of shingles. One small lesion near my spine on the upper buttock has resulted in the most horrendous leg pain (from the sciatic nerve) I've ever experienced. The neurologist I saw last week said it's about the worst pain any human can endure and the only condition which she'll prescribe narcotics for. The problem peaked about 2 weeks ago when I landed in the ER and was given morphine by IV. It barely touched the pain. For a couple of days after that I kept myself fairly drugged up and could only hobble around on crutches. Slowly, but slowly, I've been improving. The neurologist put me on Gabapentin, a drug used for seizures as well as this condition. It's just starting to kick in. I've reduced my pain killing meds. to 1 or 2 at night when it's the worst and I'm going almost entirely without crutches now. I'm told this can last months. Apparently anyone who had chicken pox is a candidate for it. The neurologist told me there is a vaccine for it which I intend to investigate after I get over this. There seems to be mixed messages about whether having a bout of shingles makes you immune to it. Just wondering if anyone here has been through this particular nightmare and how you coped.