maple_B

I'm 2+ years out. I've lost 95% of my excess weight. I have not had plastics - which would account for that last 5%. I eat a high protein, low carb diet and exercise 7 days a week. I eat roughly 1500 calories a day. I exercise at least 1 hour each day. A typical day is:
Morning - coffee - black, greek yogurt (Skyr Icelandic provisions), 2 tablespoons of granola
Mid morning - protein shake (1 cup fairlife skim milk, 1 scoop protein, handful frozen fruit in blender)
Lunch - 3-5 ounces of chicken/turkey/beef, 2 cups of green salad mix, 1 tablespoon balsamic dressing
mid afternoon - 2-3 ounces cheddar or other hard cheese
Dinner - 3-5 ounces meat, salad or green veg and 1/4 c of a starch.
I have had to increase my carbs to about 110 g daily due to my exercise load. I fence (en garde) 6-8 hours a week, do Cross Fit 3 hours a week and pilates and strength training another 1-3 hours a week. I eat about 110 g protein daily. I eat protein first. I drink close to a gallon of water a day.
If I want a glass of wine or a cocktail, I have one. At my high point, I was over 300. I now sit around 152 with 29% bodyfat. I can deadlift 250 pounds and squat 235. I'm nationally ranked as a fencer in my age group.
How well you do it up to you and your commitment to it. I've gone from a size 24 to a size 6.

Did you have a sleeve, or gastric bypass? Sometimes GERD can develop after the sleeve surgery. If it's not responding to PPI drugs (like Nexium), your surgeon might be inclined to convert you to gastric bypass. It's a pretty definitive treatment for GERD, since you don't have a pyloric sphincter in your stomach anymore.. the acid just can't build up in the pouch.

Try opening the capsule of the omeprazole. My GI doc said we sometimes have trouble digesting the capsule. I take it in a spoon of applesauce (unsweetened). I take 40mg though. It made a big diff.
You really need the EGD cuz of so many things. They need to see if you have eosinophils in your esophagus or if you have an ulcer, inflammation, hernia, etc. If you have eosinophils there it could be something like eosinophilic asthma or eosinophilic GERD.
Totes worth $500.00.

I had this issue for several months and a family member had it for over a year. Chronic cough that is not attributable to other ENT conditions is very typical of GERD. In my case, the only way to be sure was endoscopy with biopsy and brush samples sent for laboratory interpretation. This will also rule out more serious issues as well (Barrett's esophagus, neoplasm, etc.)
What about trying different GERD medications? In the past Rabeprazole (Aciphex) worked for me, but I was switched to Pantoprazole (Protonix) which has been much more effective.

I've learned something from your post! I had GERD for years and frequently had a cough when lying down at night and I'd keep cough drops on my nightstand. Now post-op I don't have GERD anymore and I had noticed that I haven't coughed at night anymore and haven't been using the cough drops. I didn't realize the two were related. Thanks for helping me realize that. You can take OTC Prilosec for GERD, which is just like the prescription Omeprazole.