2013.04.29: 11 - Breathing Exercises

我与癌 (11-吸吸呼) 通过练功，结合饮食和规律的起居，身体经过四个月的恢复又想蠢蠢欲动了。经LG和读七年级小闺女的同意，于2010年11月初，秋高气爽之际,我独自先行一步回杭探望父母，正好赶上参加在杭州花圃举办的为期两周2010年末期的郭林气功学习班。同时等待LG及俩闺女寒假聚首杭城。 出发前，通过网络找组织，找到杭州抗癌协会及学习班的信息。到杭后，在好心人的帮助下，成功入会。开始加入每天吸吸呼的训练大军。很想带妈妈一起学，但她对蹦嚓嚓更有兴趣，随她意。妈妈也恢复得那是相当地好！我认为，任何锻炼方法，均因人而异，寻求适合自己且能坚持不懈的就上对阳光大道了。 两周的学习班转眼就结束了。感谢所有的义务传功和组织者，他们无尝的奉献才得以让郭林气功发扬光大，源远流长。随后便是每天在杭州植物园以红房子为根据地的自我实践与不断提高的过程。 我自然又结交了几位新病友，情谊也随每日吸吸呼的深入而递增。 基本是早上练快行功，练至微微发汗就收功，回到家便狼吞虎咽般解决妈妈准备的色香味具全的午餐。午休后，练慢行功或升降开合功，上上网，帮助妈妈准备晚餐。 练功期间，早晨叫出租车（谢谢LG的姐姐多次送我去练功），回家坐公交车。某日，宜人天气实在无法让我放弃骑车的欲望。（化疗后，我对自己的骑车没信心）决定岳坟站下公交车，上自行车，经香格里拉，过新新饭店抵达少年宫。就这短短的一刻钟的车程，已把我乐得屁踮屁踮。 只因我的美梦成真了。第二次，便敢骑经游客较多的楼外楼，潇潇洒洒过平湖秋月和断桥。一路目不暇接享受，感受着湖光山色，秋风拂面，爽！ 感谢小学同学H，想得周到，让我方便快捷租上车，过了一把湖边骑车的瘾。更感谢你对我父母无微不至的关心，节假日的问候，不是闺女胜似闺女，这是妈妈对你的评价。 谢谢LG带我们在海南度过圣诞节，在杭和亲属一起迎来2011年的到来。谢谢弟弟和弟媳百忙中抽时间倍我们游览和k歌。谢谢爸爸妈妈让我有个只做女儿的港湾，谢谢年迈的您们越来越对我的理解和包容，把自己的生活安排得井井有条且丰富多彩！ 我是相信中医的。它不仅能帮助做化疗病人减轻甚至解除化疗副作用，也可能通过渐渐改变体质，提高自身免疫力防范复发。但在如今世界，寻求对我本意的中医生不太容易。自患病以来，一直在寻寻觅觅，在杭期间，也服用近两月的中药，希望能抑制癌细胞的繁殖。 郭林气功对我体力的恢复觉得有效果。特别之处是可根据自身情况采用不同程度的练习项目。回LA后，单独练习坚持了几个月，还是觉得和组织一起做更有收获。 我的Ca125，2010年10月是19，2011年1月 是48，2月是58，3月是113。敌情十分可疑，难道真是再一次卷土重来了？？？！！！

Me and Cancer (11 - Breathing Exercises) Through a combination of Qigong practice, diet, and lifestyle routines over the course of four months, my health improved enough that I started to want to travel again.  After discussing with LG and my seventh-grade daughter, in the refreshing autumn of early November 2010 I returned to Hangzhou to visit  my parents, just in time to participate in the Guolin Qigong classes held for two weeks at the Hangzhou Parterre. LG and my daughters would come to Hangzhou to join me over their winter break. Before I left, I found information about informational classes offered by the Hangzhou Cancer Association, and once I reached Hangzhou,  I was able to become a member through the help of kindhearted people. I started attending the daily training class for a type of Guolin Qigong breathing exercises known as “Xixihu”, which involved breathing in twice (“xixi”) and out once (“hu”). I wanted my mother to attend too, but she was more interested in social ballroom dancing. Her health was also recovering quite well! I think that different training methods are not necessarily equally suitable for every person, and as long as one finds a method that one can stick to, one will be on the path to success. Two weeks of classes passed by in the blink of an eye. I want to thank all of the volunteers and organizers, whose uncompensated contributions will help Guolin Qigong flourish far into the future. After the classes ended, I established the red house in the Hangzhou Botanical Garden as my practicing base, where I practiced every day and continuously improved. Naturally, I made a few new patient friends, and our friendship deepened as I got deeper into Xixihu. In the morning, I would practice quick-step qigong until I was just starting to sweat a little, at which point I would go home to devour a delicious lunch that my mother made. After an afternoon nap, I would practice slow-step qigong or another routine (升降开合功), browse the Internet, and help my mother prepare dinner. During my training, in the morning I would take a taxi (thank you to LG’s sister, who took me to practice many times), and I would take the bus home. One day, the pleasant weather convinced me that I really could not give up the desire to bike again (after chemotherapy, I was not confident enough to bike). I decided that I would get off the bus at the Tomb of Yue stop, get on my bike, and head toward the Children’s Palace via the Shangri-La Hotel and New Hotel. In just the span of this short 15 minute ride, I became giddy with happiness. My dream of riding again had finally come true. I was thus emboldened to later take a second ride by the tourist-heavy 楼外楼 Restaurant and casually crossed the 平湖秋月 (“Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake”) scenic point and the Broken Bridge. I enjoyed more beautiful scenery than my eyes could take in, all while feeling the gentle autumn breeze in my face. I want to thank my elementary school friend H, who was so thoughtful as to help me easily rent a bike to be able to enjoy biking alongside a lake. Even more thanks for always  taking meticulous care of my parents and paying them visits during the holidays, just like a true daughter (this is according to my mother). Thank you LG for taking us to Hainan to spend Christmas there and celebrating the coming of 2011 in Hangzhou with family. Thank you to my brother and my sister-in-law for taking time out of your busy schedules to take us sightseeing and singing karaoke.. And thank you to my parents for letting me just be a daughter again and all your understanding and forgiveness, all while keeping your own lives so colorful yet organized. I believe in traditional Chinese medicine. Not only can it reduce or even eliminate side effects of chemotherapy, it can gradually improve health, strengthening the immune system and prevent recurrence. But in today's world, it’s not easy to find a suitable traditional Chinese doctor. I’ve been searching since the beginning of my illness, and while in Hangzhou I took traditional medicine for two months in hopes of inhibiting cancer cell growth. I can feel the effects that the Guolin Qigong has on my physical recovery. One special feature is that one can use different levels of exercise routines depending on one’s condition. After returning to LA, I trained on my own for a few months, but I still felt that it was more rewarding to train in a group. My Ca125 were 19 in October 2010, 48 in January 2011, 58 in February 2011, and 113 in March 2011.  I’m so suspicious; is the enemy really making a comeback???!!!