What is going on with my tonsils?

Every couple months since I can remember as a child, into adulthood, my tonsils have swelled up and hurt like crazy to where I cannot even swallow. My mom always took me to the doctors and they never mentioned taking them out, they just continued to put me on antibiotics which obviously never worked. Now that I am 25 I can feel when it is going to happen. I start by being very tired, and then I get pressure and pain at the bottom of my neck and it works it's way up my head, I get feverish, and then BAM! My tonsils are in emmense amounts of pain, and when I look in the mirror...THEY ARE HUGE< SWOLLEN< AND RED> never white patches or anything like that just very red in color and swollen. Dont tell me to go see a doctor. I know i should see a doctor. I am just wondering if this has ever happened to anyone else and if it is something more than just bothersome tonsils? I no longer have medical insurance so unless it is life-threatening I just kind of have to deal with it.