It saddens me to hear about what you're going through, these things aren't easy on the people involved, having the support of a great partner makes it a little better though, imagine doing without someone there to help. My wife is an RN and she recently spent a long time in the hospital she works for after a very simple surgery that went sideways. Some of the care was great, other parts were terrible, she would not have survived had I not stayed at the hospital 24-7 for more than a month.
I used to be in Wisconsin every month for work, I haven't been there for long time though, if I get back there in the near future I'll see if I can meet with with you, mainly just to say thank you for being such a good person in your interactions with people on this website.
I've heard that a lot of people who have heart attacks have a bunch of anti acids in them..... And who doesn't get heartburn? Heck, I've had it for a week.... Had GERD once for about a month before I saw a doctor. I think the valve on the stomach weakened and was letting the gasses up. Was told to eat more frequently and small. Lots of snacking. Seemed to work.