There’s a lot of great advice in here, so here’s something a little more obscure - Get. The. Shingles. Vaccine.

Most insurance won’t cover it until you’re 50. Pay for it out of pocket.

I had the shingles at 40. It’s a close 2nd for the most pain I’ve ever been in. (For comparison, 1st place goes to the time I took a training sword to the eye. It squished my eye down and smacked into the back of the socket. Nearly lost that eye.)

It’s the same virus as chickenpox. A herpes variant like cold sores, once you’ve caught it, it’s with you forever.

You’ll get huge, burning blisters all along the pathway of whichever nerve the virus has taken residence on. And some nerves go to quite sensitive places indeed. The pain is akin to a hot iron pressed unceasingly to your skin. For weeks.

For me, it was the right side of my face and neck. I developed Bell’s Palsy and couldn’t move the right side of my face at all. Though my facial control eventually came back, I’ve lost some hearing in my right ear.

It’s cheap at any price - Get vaccinated.