Nerve damage from shingles

I had shingles in Sept of 02. Atleast that's what some people told me it was. My doctor insisted it was not shingles, because the rash went around my leg instead of down my leg. They told me to take benedryl first (total waste of time), then they gave me cortizone pills (expensive waste of time). The rash had spread almost all the way around my leg, so I went back and insisted he give me some Valtrex. He really didn't want to, but he had to admit he had nothing else to give me. So I started the Valtrex a week after the rash started. Of course it stopped spreading immediately. Now I'm stil left with nerve damage from this thing that the doctor insisted was not shingles. I have some questions this doctor is never going to answer. #1 Does shingles work on anything else besides shingles? #2If so, what else does it work on? #3 What can I do about the pain and weakness in my leg? #4 What websites or books (on a layman's level, as I have very little medical background) are there that I should read?