Hi Mary Rita,Welcome to Healing Well. Sorry to hear that you're struggling with your recovery.
First, at 5 weeks you're still very early in the healing process. I don't know what your surgeon told you, but it's very common to lose weight and have some swallowing issues in the first weeks of recovery.
This recovery takes 6 months for the majority of healing and a full year for the rest. I found that some things continued to improve (fine tune) into the second year.
The heartburn may actually be esophageal pain that the brain interprets as heartburn. My surgeon told me that the esophagus is a "dumb organ" and interprets all pain as heartburn.
At 5 weeks you should not be eating a "regular meal", because your healing wrap continues to need some babying. Remember that your outsides heal much more quickly than your insides. Your upper GI tract has undergone a major revision an it takes time for your body to adjust.
Nausea is likely your stomach's reaction to being stretched and wrapped and stitched, and is a symptom that quite a few here have experienced.
If I were you I'd stay away from ginger ale. It's full of carbonation and the bubbles can create gas and bloating in your stomach. Avoid all carbonate beverages.
The diarrhea will subside once your stomach recovers and heals.
Here is a link with some information about foods:
http://surgery.med.umich.edu/thoracic/clinical/procedures/MushyDiet-Nissen.pdf
I had the surgery three years ago and found this forum to be very helpful as I was recovering. I've found over the years that most surgeons don't prepare their patients for their recovery. I don't really think surgeons know what their patients experience after surgery. That's why this forum is so helpful.
I don't know if this will be at all helpful, but here's a link to my recovery journal (the first 19 days, so it stopped before where you are, but you might recognize some of the same issues.)
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443
It will get better. I'm sure others will be by to share their experiences and support.
Best wishes,
Denise