PPIs (again) returning member

Well, great to see this wonderful forum again.
I had GERD back in the 90s, went on Prilosec, no issues, took myself off and thought I was fine.
Back it came 6 or seven years later (I came here) Took Prilosec, got heart palps so stopped, then started Prevacid. On that for several months. Didn't feel great but it did stop the burning. Eventually tapered and stopped (also got the radioactive egg test and found I have mild gastroparesis, so food moves verrrrrrrry slowly,w hich doesn't help GERD)
Back to being mostly okay.
Lots of things happened, including my husband's two year battle with breast cancer and death last December. A very hard battle. And then an extremely turbulent, AWFUL probate process with his children (I gave them everything, but it was a very stressful process)
Although things have smoothed out, and I was,in fact, feeling really good, last monday back came GERD with a vengence. Burning at night. Burning in throat. HATE this.
So went to GP who prescribed 60mg a day of prevacid. Which was okay until I read the label. Kidney problems at any point in treatment. Heart palps. Etc. etc. And (have plenty of anxiety already) I panicked. Have not started the meds. Don't want rebound. Or trouble tapering. Or kidney problems.
Of course, after my husband's ordeal, i 'am terrified of hospitals/procedures/ etc.
I asked for a referral to a GI but have not gotten one yet (doc wants to try this first, the two weeks of PPI)
I decided as a compromise to buy OTC Prilosec--can't find OTC prevacid-- and see if I could tolerate it (it's 20mg), but then thought, that's crazy, you have a script! (but havne't started it)
I do not smoke. I am not overweight. I walk. My bed is elevated. I avoid trigger foods (for GERD, gastroP and IBS) I am gluten free (living on cereal, cliff bars,crackers--which I'll cut as they have waaay to much salt--salmon or sardines and baby food--which I just discovered has lemon juice, so, this attack is not as out of the blue as I might have thought. Also I had some ginger ale, which I KNOW can cause problems) I have had my one precious cup of weak tea (bag sits in other mug of hot water befire I use it) but I'll stop that too.
I know I'm a big weenie, so need some hand holding. I shoudl try the PPIs for two weeks, right? I'm just being silly, right?

Sigh.

Hi Sharon and thanks!
This round seems to be more nausea, although definitely the GERD burning at times.
Not constant by any means, but...there.

I'm sure thinking hard about the PPIs
last endoscopy (3rd, I think, maybe 4th) was in 2009
It would take a LOT of meds to get to me to do one now. Maybe.

There is no local GI doc, it turns out (last one retired? not sure
but am calling the office to find out what happened, if there
is anyone within a 3 hour radius.
Rural life...