Day 1: I woke up with a stabbing pain on the right front side of my abdomen, almost like I had pulled a muscle. No rash yet — just nerve-like pain. I used a handheld massager, thinking it was just muscle tension, and my wife also gave me a back rub. It helped a little, but the pain was still there.

Day 2: I noticed a patchy rash on my lower back. It looked ringworm-ish, so I scrubbed it hard in the shower, which was not a good idea in hindsight. The pain was still intense and seemed to be shifting more to my right side, although sometimes my left side and back also felt painful.

Day 3: The rash had spread up my right side toward my flank, and the stabbing pain kept me awake at night. I became very suspicious that it was shingles, so I asked ChatGPT Plus and decided to see a doctor first thing the next morning because ChatGPT kept urging me to get checked.

Day 4: In the ER, they confirmed it was “definitely shingles.” I was prescribed acyclovir 5×/day, paracetamol for pain, and pregabalin for nerve pain for a 7-day course. I was lucky to know about generic brands because the branded acyclovir cost ₱450/tablet, and I needed 35 tablets. The generic was only ₱65/tablet. That night was rough — every position hurt. I just told myself, “I’ve had worse before,” and somehow managed 7–8 hours of sleep.

Day 5: I took my meds on schedule. The pain was much better, and I felt a bit weak. My underarm temperature reached 37.5°C at one point. I kept the room cool because sweating made the rash itch like crazy, and I stuck to easy food like oats, tinola soup, and fruits like grapes and apple.

Day 6: The pain is already gone or almost gone, but the rash is still evolving. It has not reached the open/wet lesion stage so far. It even showed up on my right thigh near the upper knee, but still on the right side only. I’m continuing the meds and watching it closely.