I, too, recently had a severe bacterial
infection of my ear, and developed the very-same symptoms - with uncontrollable
itching of my hands & feet, which clears up with antihistamine. My worst bout occurred after I applied a hand moisturizer (Curel), leading me to believe that it was a contact allergy. However, a patch test ruled that out, and the symptoms have occurred spontaneously, regardless of having contacted any substance.