I am a 29 year old male, living in Stockholm, Sweden with my girlfriend Linda (since 10 years) and our dog, Nikki (miniature Schnauzer - a real stubborn one). I make a living as a business development manager at a company dealing with CAD and special effects software, I'm responsible for the special effects stuff as I have a background in the field with my own company.

I'm a classic type A personality. I was very good in school, went on to higher studies just when IT started to be interesting and decided I didn't need formal education - the future was happening outside school, NOW! So I dropped out and started my own company, ending up doing lots of websites for big companies who didn't have a clue about the net. Later went on to work more with animation for film and video.

During the time when I ran my company (9 years), I worked constantly. I tried to stay relatively healthy through mountain biking and gym-work, and also tried not to neglect feelings, family and friends.

I am 100% sure I got Shingles due to a weakened immune system as a direct result of long-term stress. I was always looking for the next step, never enjoying the moment or what I already had.

As you'll see when you read my diary (IF you are still reading after my intro-rambling), my symptoms have been mild this far - so I am lucky.

If there is a moral to my story, it would be:

• Don't neglect symptoms and instinct. I was worried since day one - but chose to neglect worries in favor of more comfortable explanations. See a doc directly if your symptoms are out of the ordinary!
• Trust yourself. Demand the service that you need from the medical care, don't let anyone dismiss your symptoms.

Most important lesson for me personally: Apparently I am not immune to stress, and the life I have is not worth risking over details. I will continue to strive to do my best, but I will be much more patient with myself and those around me. I don't have to excel at everything. Value life, enjoy it - have fun!

Read my story