abbie
I had a similar problem but not as bad as you describe - I was advised not to eat or drink anything at least two hours before going to bed. I elevated the head of my bed 8 inches, suck on a tablespoon of crushed ice at bedtime and to help heal the burned area, i take "Gastro Soothe" from the health store, which is DGL with Calcium Carbonate (Like Tums) for the heartburn and to heal the lining of my throat and intestines. I also started taking Acidolphilus. I began to notice a marked improvement in about two to three weeks. I don't have the hernia or at least have not been diagnosed but I do have a lot of your symptoms, especially as soon as I doze off to sleep but that is much improved now. I also do acupressure and cranial sacral therapy. I think the combination of all of this natural stuff has got it all over medications which have so many side effects.