Sorry to be late entering this discussion. I noticed key words that relate to my own condition and its treatment. I just had a wonderful hour-long meeting with my nephrologist, who has supervised my hypertension treatment for several years. "Amlodipine" is a calcium channel blocker for heart and arterial problems; it gave me edema in my lower legs, so it's now on my list of allergic meds never to use. For blood pressure, I take Coreg, Lisinopril, and Amiloride (a diuretic that preserves potassium which my kidneys otherwise throw away).

My CKD is stage 3. My GFR is 37 percent, measured every couple of months within a Chem-7 lab test and calculated from those tests and my personal characteristics.

After my session with my nephrologist last Friday, we agreed to leave my medical regimen as usual over the last three years and focus on life-style fixes -- more exercise, drinking more water, and reducing stress. Just the meeting changed my BP, which had been running 150/90 on average, but I awoke Saturday morning and -- after sitting quietly for 10 minutes -- recorded BP of 117/76. Now my main challenge is to keep my stress under control. I went bowling this morning, rolled three lines, and found myself to be more stable and relaxed than before. Is there anything in my experience that catches your interest or your curiosity? Martin

In an earlier post I said my nephrologist gave me Amlodipine to protect my kidneys. I was wrong. It was lisinopril.