I have no idea, Gburg. I hope to find out soon. (One thing I have brought up about me in the past, is that certain antibiotics in the floroquinolone/quinolone family can cause neuropathy.) After my initial visit on the 19th, they will do a nerve conduction test (EMG) that will tell us if there is something more systemic or autoimmune going on. There are different types of neuropathy (symmetrical peripheral neuropathy, mononeuropathy, mononeuritis multiplex, polyneuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, and neuritis.)
There are certain things the nerves control in the body that we take for granted. The nerves control autofunctions/autosystems, things that we don't have to consciously think about, such as temperature, urinary retention, breathing, etc.
I don't think the hand pain is sympathetic. With symmetrical peripheral neuropathy, if one side of the body, say the left foot is having problems, then the right side will too. If one leg is having problems, then the right one will too, and so on. My left wrist and hand were the first to experience the pain I described and has for a very long time now (although it diminished from time-to-time, it never disappeared), and now my right wrist and hand are experiencing the same exact pain. I have not found that if the feet are affected, the wrists and hands will be too. I am wondering if it is not nerve damage, then could it be arthritis...at 45 years old?!