long-lasting pain *after* the pain that comes right after an attack?

I'm not bad at keeping my hands at least within a range that prevents attacks, and take tons of precautions. I suspect (never been told) that mine is secondary Raynaud's. Had very poor circulation since I was small (I remember it at 8, 10, 14 years old), no matter what my exercise or how much (used to walk 14 to 20 miles a day - didn't help).

But during a cold spell recently I had to shovel in 10-degree weather, and despite superbly warm gear and extra precautions, I had an attack from Hell. Afterwards, I was not surprised (not the same as not being driven quite out of my mind) at the excrutiating pain of immediate recovery. Been there done that.

But after that, it started dawning on me that my fingertips felt like I'd burned all 10 of them on a hot pan or something similar. And it has persisted. It's going on 3 weeks, and they don't feel like they're getting better.

It doesn't help that it's dry as the Sahara and they're all suffering no matter how I try to treat the dryness, plus I'm having to fingerprick them for blood tests multiple times a day, thus building up a plentiful supply of callouses even though I try to spread the fingerpricks around.

I feel like someone's been discreetly applying sandpaper to my fingertips every night in my sleep and then letting a scab develop before I wake up? I don't know, that doesn't quite describe it. I sure as heck can't feel textures or pressure, and sometimes temperatures, like I used to.

I've never had this lasting-pain-after-the-pain before. My doctor said, oh, yes, it's normal. It is?

Why didn't I get it the first 20-30 years of Raynaud's, even in episodes when my hands or feet turned truly blue?

If it's normal, how long is this going to last? - or is that impossible to predict?? - or is it permanent???

What is the physical damage that has been done that causes this? Did I fry all the nerve endings of one or more types??

Thank you!

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