Sorry not to have any advice for you,
GeoGeo -- I haven't had surgery and my heartburn is well controlled with OTC proton pump inhibitors.
I have a question of my own on the subject, though. Has anyone with chronic heartburn/GERD had the test for H. pylori, and if so, what were the results? Did antibiotic treatment help?
H. pylori: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More