I am experiencing PHN, AGAIN! I can t remember how many flare-ups I ve had. This one is causing me to lose sleep, night after night. I had shingles the first time, 19 years ago, one lesion , between my eyes. The next bout was several years ago and I felt as if I had a sunburn on my neck and shoulder, lower arm, scalp was tender to the touch and I had an earache for more than 6 months. Now I feel as if my skin is thick, I have deep tissue pain to burning in the muscles of my left calf , and there is a tiny lesion there that I know I ve had for at least 2 months. ALL on the left side this time and also in 2009. The primary lesion pain was in the form of excrutiating headaches...How long does this last?