Is there anything to do for the gerd condition other than taking medication.

Hopefully your doctor is giving you the standard advice. The advice I received (from the doctor and from other knowledgeable sources).

- cut down on coffee and alcohol (which I have not been doing, fwiw).

- cut down on spicy food (which I have been mostly doing) and avoid a list of known triggers such as mint.

- slant your bed. For me sleeping at an angle (feet lower than head) really helps. I started with a foam wedge which didn't work too well because I would slip off it when I slept. I bought a metal lifter that goes under the box spring. That works very well for me.

- avoid wearing clothing that is tight around your waist (which I do).

- avoid eating less than 5 hours before bedtime.

Slanting my bed helps me a great deal. I am supposed to be taking PPI inhibitors, when I watch my diet I have found I don't need them as much. I don't always do a good job watching my diet.

And every two years I have an endoscopy to screen for esophageal cancer. This is god-awful, but the doctor thinks it is important since he found a condition called Barrett's esophagus.

Yes - No more than 3 meals a day and no snacking. Main meal, Light meal, little meal for the evening. Do not drink water or pop with your meals nor 1/2 hr before nor sooner than 1 hr after. A complete fast one or two days a week will also allow you to heal back to normal giving your digestive organs time to repair.