postherpetic neuralgia
"I had shingles in January 2014. I have had terrible PHN ever since. 2.5 years of pain. It has been awful!! Shingles is the worst pain I have ever experienced and it isn't going away. I tried everything out there from Gabapentin to acupuncture, to percocet, to injections in my back and nothing helped, or it would help for a few weeks, but the pain always managed to come back strong. I was wary of Lyrica because of the side effects, but I finally decided to try it. It has definitely helped me and I can do things like ride my bike again with little pain. However, I have put on 8 lbs in 6 months and I am an extremely active person, so this is tough for me. I also have pain in my joints and sometimes my hands go numb, but less pain."