Sorry to hear that. I had shingles in my early twenties - rash on back and around to the front along a couple of lines (it follows nerve pathways, so they say).
They said it could be stress related - you catch the virus and it lays dormant until tiggered - it's similar to cold sores/herpes in that respect (NOT the STI kind; get your minds out of the gutter!). At least that's what I recall - medical knowledge may have advanced a fair bit since then.
Of course in my case it wasn't stress ... I mean just because it was final exams at Uni, and my gf had dumped me, and someone threw a brick through my car's rear window, and I got into a fight with my best friend, and I was flat broke ... no, definitely no stress there.
Get well soon, Scott. If it's any consolation, there have been no long-term repercussions of shingles in my case my case my case my case my case .... slap! I'm fine, trust me!
