surgeon talk today

If it is non-erosive, it seems strange that so much damage would be done to the tongue and nose, and you shouldn't have as much soreness. I think non-erosive means that the acidity isn't so bad and that it doesn't really cause so much damage. Even if your esophagus isn't being eroded, it seems like other parts of your body are, and thus you should treat it with severity.

I don't know if I'd personally wait for it to get worse, esp. when you don't always know what 'worse' entails. Sometimes, prolonged damage causes swallowing problems, which makes post-op recovery much worse (since this is a primary side-effect of surgery), or it could result in Barrett's esophagus. Also, the younger you are, the better. Many people complain that they are bed-ridden for several weeks or months, and as a 28 year old who had the surgery in the beginning of May, I was back at work within 10 days of my operation. It probably wouldn't have worked out the same way if I waited another decade or two.

Also, how is your quality of life? There are a lot of people who jump into the surgery too quickly (like those that just have occasional reflux for a few months), but it seems like your QOL is that of someone who has had untreatable GERD for a while. I know for myself, I became a lot less social, a lot less active, and a lot more negative. These were some of the driving factors for me to go into surgery, and is maybe something for you to contemplate as well.

That's always a good thing - one of the primary contributors to successful fundoplication (less/no side-effects, less/no reflux) is to have an experienced surgeon. At least if you decide to get it done, you know you'll be in experienced hands. It's hard for some people to get in with these surgeons due to not being in a major metro area or because the experienced ones are booked for months.