I just had my esophagus endoscoped. found out I have a hiatal hernia. It is probably the cause of the GERD. Knowing that helps, but the treatment is still to take a drug like Nexium and avoid trigger foods, sleep with my head elevated. You want to avoid the inflammation you are experiencing to protect your esophagus. You are so young, I would ask for your gastroenterologist to scope your esophagus to see its condition and try to identify a cause.