Mark has Shingles

Well, on Christmas Eve as we are driving to California to have Christmas with the Gibb's.....we realized the "rash" Mark has had is not going away...it's now been a week. Hot packs, neosporin....benadryl...none of this has worked. I call Allison to find out what time the clinic closes that is close to their home. She calls me back..it closes at 1:00. We can make it if we hurry and no traffic hurdles. We arrive at 12:30....I jump out of the car and Mark drives to the clinic after saying "Hi"....to the Gibb's we have driven 6 hours to see. He makes it in time. The rash turns out to be shingles. We have to go and get an anti-viral medicine. Wow...by now the rash has spread some more and is painful. I thought maybe he had a staph infection...hmmmmm..I now know what shingles looks like. He has pain across his chest...under his arms..around to his back. He said it is like he has been punched and left with bruises. He has trouble sleeping. He doesn't complain...it's just he can't sleep...too much pain.