Medical System...what happened to you?

I am really losing faith in the medical system. Not only the "scare tactics" about everything...especially the swine flue, but the unneccessary hoops one must go through to get no results in which we still pay for. Now, I am a person who ALWAYS tries to see things from each point of view on all issues...but after time and time of the same crap, I am really leaning away from medical and leaning more towards the natural remedies.

Example: The air is changing, the house is dry, we were waking up with dry itchy throats and phlemge (sp?) which irritated our throats. Sam's started first 2 weeks ago and I noticed a white spot in his throat and thought, "strep"...so I took him in. I tried to just get a culture done without an actual visit as our private self employed insurance is about as good as a hole in a canoe going down the river. Of course I can't, I have to see a doctor so I can pay $150.00 for them to say, "let's do a culture". Comes back negative. So I do the humidifiers and vapor liquid and give Sam some Claritin for his allergies which caused the swelling and throat irritation. Fine. Me however, I keep getting his "soar throat" every night. I try the humidifier, I try the vapor, I try the propped up pillows...a little better, but not really. So I try Chloreseptic, works for like 15 minutes. I try Tylenol, not much help. Finally, I do the salt water gargle...pain gone. As much as I HATE gargling, and end up usually throwing up from it, it works.

Okay...back to today. So the kids are better but still have some plemge in the morning to "hack up" I show them how and tell them everyone gets it, blah blah blah. But today Sam's had blood in his, and not just a pinkish streak, I mean, more blood than mucus. Along with the other things we're dealing with Sam, I was worried enough to take him in to get it checked out. I first called the nurse, but wasn't getting a return call. Finally once in the waiting room, she calls me and basically it can be nothing or something major and anything in between. So I was glad to be there.

I tell the nurse and doctor the story of what has been going on. About a month ago, maybe 3 weeks ago we had a pot roast for dinner. Sam choked, and I mean really choked. It was quite possibly the scariest thing I have experienced so far as a parent. Once we got the meat out of him, and he was okay, Jason and I both cried. Just thinking of the incident brings tears to my eyes and I hope to never experience that again! So after that incident, Sam began not eating, and we as caring parents understood the drama he went through and were sensitive to his fear so we allowed it to a point, but it got ridiculous...really bad. Sam used to eat 1 1/2 waffles and a sausage patty as a breakfast, he now barely eats 1/2 of the waffle. It is like this EVERY meal, no matter if he chooses the meal or not. We have gotten firm and this last weekend it really got to us and we yelled, punished, took things away, etc. Nothing phased him, he just "isn't hungry" EVER! He hasn't been sick, but hasn't quite been himself and gets worn down easily, we assumed it was happening from lack of food and how busy it's been with Halloween, pumpkin parties, cub scouts, etc. We are a very busy family and sometimes we forget how that can wear a kid down.

The doctor asks, "does your throat hurt?" Sam says, "no".
"how about when you eat? does it hurt when you swallow?" "No"

"Does he have a cough?" "No, just in the morning when trying to hack up the phlemge"
"Does he have any fevers?" "No, the other night he felt warm but I couldn't get the thermometer to work and the one time it came on it said 99.6, but he is warm bodied. I gave him some Motrin but he was completely fine in the morning and all the next days"

So...the doctor says his tonsils are swollen and he wants to do a strep culture....I protest saying that we just had one done 2 weeks ago and there are no white spots and he says his throat doesn't hurt. "some children show no signs of it and due to the swollen tonsils I want to make sure." $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

He also wants to do an Xray of Sam's chest which I think is a good idea since the bloody mucus and all. That comes back clean, no pnuemonia and no signs of anything else. "I want to write a prescription for an antibiotic for bronchitus" I question why would we give him an anitboiotic for bronchitus if it the Xray was clean. "due to the blood in the phelmge" I ask if there were any signs of bronchitus and he says, "no, but this is a clinical diagnosis" $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

And Sam has lost 3 lbs in 2 weeks from when I took him in to test for strep, that concerns him, and me, but I need to take that up with his regular doctor, so set up an appointment so she can do more testing.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

So I wonder why we run tests that the questions and symptoms don't support? Why did we not do any more of the "testing" when the first 2 things come back normal? Why do I have to come home and research things to diagnose my own child when I probably just spent $450.00 in Urgent Care? When did our doctors become nothing but "salespeople" to run tests and spend our money with no care over my child?

I am really frustrated, really really frustrated! And if anyone wants to give suggestions, I am open to them, but if anyone wants to rant about why we need Obama's "free" health care, please just exit now, or I will have to write another 5 pages on how that "free" plan will automatically cost Jason and I $9,000.00 that we don't pay now. Thank you.