Thanks for your concern, courtneyt. Yeah, aging isn't all it's cracked up to be. I was hoping to avoid the endoscopy, but I think you're right; I need to know what's going on. I'm pretty sure this is the silent GERD from the reading I've done. And yes, I ran across the Barrett's esophagus and I'm hoping that's not what I have. I did see that if not treated, it can become cancerous, and that esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S. My problem is trust. I'm on Medicare and Medi-caid and I worry that some GI doc will perform unnecessary procedures on me. The hardest part is changing my diet. I'm losing weight and getting weaker because I still haven't figured out exactly what I can and can't eat. Most of what I used to eat doesn't work anymore. Again, thanks for getting back! I really do appreciate it. I'm living alone and don't have anyone to run things by.