This thing about GERD is interesting. The GI doctor at National Jewish Health spoke at their last Lecture Series (it was available nationwide online, all you had to do is register and pay a small amount to do so, and they have this informative series every year). He explained there are certain things you can do to avoid acid reflux, like not lying down after you eat, eating smaller meals, avoiding foods that aggravate your stomach.
An endoscopy sounds like another one of "those" tests that a doctor might order. I don't know anything about this test.
I don't know how accurate a barium swallow test is, but my pulmonologist seems to be satisfied with my minimal acid reflux, and thank goodness because that barium swallow test was over $700 and even though insurance covered a good deal of that, out-of-pocket cost was a good bit of pocket change for me.
It seems we continue to navigate a lot, what doctors say, how we must take care of our health in light of opinions, medical and otherwise, a whole myriad of information from which we glean knowledge that will help us in our journey with Bronchiectasis, a disease which is not addressed, nor even understood,
as much as we would like in the medical world.
Mayo Clinic Connect has been a godsend, and I'm so grateful we can be a part of it.