My blood pressure seems to have come under control and is generally in the 130/80 range (sometimes more, sometimes less). I'm not sure if it's due to the diet/lifestyle changes or the medicine (Cozaar + Aspirin), so I've stopped taking them yesterday to find out. So far so good.
I took yet another creatinine test which gave 2.5mL/dL (compared to 2.6 a week ago), however the urea level was up. What I still can't fathom is how rapidly the creatinine and urea levels have gone up since discovering I had the condition. The nefrogolist (kidney expert) said it was normal because of the "drugs" (I didn't tell him I wasn't taking the main drug he prescribed). The "alternative" doctor suggested it may be because now I had conditioned myself to having a kidney problem, my body was acting in a manner consistent with that conditioning. My personal theory is that having lowered my blood pressure, less blood is getting filtered through my kidneys every day. Hey, it makes sense to me.
The nefrologist gave me the same prognosis that I've read online: gradual progression of the kidney disease until failure. He continued to prescribe Colcort, a steriod that supresses the immune system, thereby slowing the damage to my kidneys. From what I gather, it is my own body that is damaging the kidneys, attacking them as if they were are foreign body. I haven't started taking the Colcort as it can have permanent undesireable effects on the immune system
The goal of the nefrologist is to delay the progress of the disease as much as possible, hence the low protein diet, immune system supression and blood pressure control. He prescribed "Ketosteril", a pretty expensive drug ($200 USD/month). From what I've read it seems to be nothing more than an amino-acid food supplement to compensate for the low protein diet. The nefrologist however said that it would help repair damaged (but not dead) kidney cells. I guess anything that may do that is worth a try!
The "alternative" doctor remains optimistic that his treatment will work. He's asked me to take 6 sessions and have another creatinine test to see if we're making progress. I hope to God that we are! I still have many other things to experiment with in my search for a cure but none offer such a tangible chance of success as this doctor.
I recall one medication our daughter was on her first few weeks after discovering she had 30% kidney function. I think it was a beta blocker - I wish i could recall what it was. He creatinine jumped up - and apparently that was a side effect that some patients get from that med - so they changed her to something else.
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