HI...there r many symptoms that can be from GERD. But a GI dr should be able to also tell u the root cause of ur GERD.Since this is ongoing, I would want to know the root issues here.
PPI's stop the acid from being produced...if u miss ur meds, they can overproduce and cause a flare up...this is called rebound effect...u do have to slowly back off these meds to avoid that issue.
Next u do need to modify diet and lifestyle...please see the Health Pages
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/list?cid=236
Doing this in addition to meds can help u feel better and hopefully wean off the meds at some point.
"selma"