Yes, you can have systemic symptoms from CM.  The mast cells in your skin can degranulate and send mediators through your body, causing systemic symptoms.  Antihistamines should be helpful.  If you're not able to control them on the meds and/or dosages you're taking now, ask your doctor about increasing the doses or frequency.

Joan & Mike,

Thank you both for replying.   Everything I learn is helping me cope better.

Joan, that makes sense about the release from the skin effecting the whole body.   Thanks for explaining it.   And, thanks for the medicine suggestion, we're (the dr and I) currently experimenting with dosages, and which meds I can tolerate.   We've made some progress, but we're still pretty early on in the process.   This forum keeps me encouraged that the meds will help.

Mike - I'm sorry your skin is hurting all the time.   Does cutting out certain foods help any?    I found that avoiding citrus, tomatoes, and some other foods reduced the level of burn I experience.   Also, a LOT of rest over several days, will bring it down some.   However, it rarely goes completely away.   But, if a piece of clothing makes me burn - it will also cause a whole cascade of reactions.   On the other hand, if it's cold air, or friction making me burn, I don't get the rest of the reactions.   Strange.

Thanks again,
BlueSkies

Thanks for your thoughts, Mike.   It is amazing how varied this gets, and yet at the same being on this forum it feels like things finally make sense.   After all, how many people do you think I have ever run into whose skin burns?   It's like a dose of sanity to know other people have similar symptoms!   For similar crazy triggers.

I'm still at the beginning of experimenting with the meds, but maybe they will help yet.

BlueSkies