I'm 4 months out and continue to have very bad acid reflux. My Dr. said that eating too much or too quickly can result in pain like acid reflux but that was really caused by food backing up into the esophagus. Eating less, eating slowly and drinking a lot of Water, as is recommended, reduces the pain a lot but not entirely. Acidic drinks make it worse (no duh) and certain foods (pistachio nuts, which may "stick").
I took one sip of Hansen's sugar free black raspberry soda about 3 weeks after surgery. It was if I had swallowed acid, it went down painfully and my stomach felt like it was going to explode. I'm not going to try soda again for quite some time.
Watch out for CIGNA. When I was done with the 6 months, I got their approval letter. Yesterday, 2 1/2 weeks after having the surgery, I heard from CIGNA: coverage DENIED. I am hoping that this was a bureaucratic mistake, but if not, I have a financial disaster on my hands.
Very quickly - less than 2 weeks. They initially said there was no medical necessity but then approved immediately after getting more info from the doctor. However, they make you go through a lot before the doctor can submit.