Posts by Aaron Garcia36

Rebecca Vaughn7 said:Aaron Garcia36, here’s my take: it's totally possible your cycle is just acting up because of the flu. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. But if I were you? I’d definitely run the test again. That control line shows up regardless of how diluted your urine is; it just proves enough liquid hit the strip, it says nothing about the concentration. One piece of advice: DO NOT waste your money on Gravignost. I've found the cheaper SignTest works fine, and even the pricier IntimPlus is better. However, if you're feeling desperate—and looking at your posts, you clearly are—there is a much better way. It won't cost much more than those kits, and it's 100% accurate: go to a private lab for a blood test to check your beta hCG levels. That’s the hormone produced during pregnancy that all these tests are hunting for, but a blood test doesn't mess around. If you live in a major city, there's bound to be a private lab nearby where you can get this done. You'll usually have the results the same day or the next, and it costs around $130-$$60. In a place like New York, I’d probably head straight to Labcorp (and there are plenty of others), or maybe Quest Diagnostics in a city like Los Angeles; I can't speak for everywhere else.

Good luck, and keep us posted!😉

Just wanted to give an update: yesterday, after being five days late, I bought a test intending to take it this morning.
I woke up around 4:00 AM feeling pretty achy, and since I had to use the bathroom anyway, I decided to just do the test. Right as I was finishing, I felt this sharp cramp in my pelvic area and, naturally, started bleeding. Needless to say, the test was negative.

It seems like the flu really knocked me sideways and threw my period completely out of whack.

Hey everyone, I’m reposting this from my women's health group because they have a dedicated thread for testing, but I'm just too impatient to wait and wanted to see if anyone here has dealt with something similar...

Hi all,

I have a bit of a question wrapped up in a longer story. First, some context: my cycle is incredibly regular—almost exactly every 28 days, down to the hour. I don't have any history of gynecological issues. Recently, though, I dealt with a nasty bout of the flu that knocked me out for nearly three weeks (I'm not sure if that plays a role, but there it is).
My period was due on Sunday, June 3rd. When it didn't show up on schedule, I headed to the pharmacy the next day and picked up a Prima test. To be honest, the pharmacist kept suggesting all sorts of different brands, but she claimed this one could be used at any time of day, so I went with it. The result was negative, yet my period still hasn't arrived. The only physical changes I've noticed are some breast tenderness when I'm not wearing a bra or when I reach upward, a massive increase in appetite—I feel like I can eat constantly, even though I'm usually a picky eater and naturally quite thin—and feeling a little more fatigued than usual, though nothing extreme.
Since my period is still MIA, I naturally turned to Google and now to you guys, because some sites mentioned that tests might be inaccurate if done during the day due to diluted urine.
However, since the Prima box specifically stated it could be used at any time, I assumed it was reliable, especially since the control line appeared clearly, showing the test worked correctly.

Now I'm stuck wondering if I should just buy a different brand. All this research has me thinking maybe another brand offers better accuracy. Back when I lived abroad for several years, I used Clearblue for my first two pregnancies and it worked perfectly, but the woman at the pharmacy insists that isn't available here in the States.

Could it be a false negative from testing too early, actual pregnancy, or just my cycle being thrown off by the flu?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Douglas Cook9 said:When I typed that out, your post hadn't even hit yet. And look, once people start nitpicking every little thing, they lose track of who actually wrote what since the last person to edit a post technically owns the final word. For all we know, she might have been the one who actually wrote it—if not, then my bad, huge apologies.
Besides, it doesn't really matter who made the call; what matters is this blind adherence to rules that clearly aren't applied equally to everyone.

It’s not about being embarrassed; I know she was the last one to touch that post because we had to add some info, and otherwise, outsiders wouldn't realize who is responsible for enforcing our guidelines.

Look, regarding this "blindly following the rules" thing... here is how I see it: I want to participate in a discussion or an online community. I check the threads, I read the rules, and if they suit me, I join in; if not, I move on. I don't consider myself special, nor am I above the rules. I would certainly face consequences if I uploaded five photos when only allowed one, because as a long-time member (just like Megan White4), I know exactly what the boundaries are. There is simply no reason to break them.
Why should 99% of users follow the rules while he gets a free pass? If you are a user who follows the regulations, why shouldn't Megan White4 be held to the same standard? Is he somehow better than you? Above you?
Everyone deserves equal treatment, and I believe the rest of the community would want to be treated that way too.
Of course, we moderators aren't perfect (speaking strictly about myself here). I've made mistakes, misjudged situations, or handled things through private messages instead of public posts. BUT, that only happens when a user is being reasonable and the situation can be resolved normally. When I receive a message similar to his, my experience tells me that those confrontations can spiral indefinitely.
There is absolutely no need to communicate like that with anyone. Situations can always be settled civilly without someone stooping to the level that Megan White4 has chosen to take.

Douglas Cook9 said:Honestly, you all really stepped in it together this time.
Look, we all know people say some pretty wild stuff during a heated argument just to get a reaction, but once the momentum starts, there’s no stopping it.
If high-ranking politicians can smirk and say, "Maybe it isn't fair, but it's legal," then we shouldn't be shocked when moderators cling to the letter of the law—even when those rules are ridiculous or things they basically made up themselves. This whole mess started over one single image (the fifth one in a row), and let's be real, it feels incredibly unfair to play stickler for the rules when that rule wouldn't even have been broken if things were handled differently on another sub-forum.
Speaking of photography, it’s pretty pathetic that in a place where visuals are everything—and honestly should be hosted in its own dedicated photo section—this specific shot was completely nuked.
It also felt totally shady how they aggressively enforced the rule against a fifth image, especially since the same moderator defending it would go write on a different part of the site that multiple images are perfectly fine. It's the same story with the resolution limits; they used to claim nothing could be larger than 640x480, only for us to find out certain sections allow 800x600, and even then, getting that rule updated in the photo guidelines was an uphill battle.
And honestly, leaking private messages is just tacky. It's bad taste, plain and simple, especially when that content was meant for one person only.
Since everyone involved has gone overboard here, the best move would be to bury the hatchet, make up after the PM drama 😁 and just lift the ban.
Why? Because Megan White4 actually wrote quality stuff that added real value to the site.

@Steven Ruiz, you’d really show what you're made of if you just stepped up in this thread, said "lift the ban," and settled this once and for all.

Secondly, I am the one who established the rule for the diaspora community (not a colleague), and Steven Ruiz simply agreed to it when he accepted his moderator role. I don't see any reason for Steven Ruiz to be crucified for a decision that was entirely mine.

You can't really compare two PDFs that have such vastly different image policies; calling them "opposites" is a massive stretch.
The topic at hand is "publishing the President's info," not "images in the diaspora group." I stand firmly by my specific rule regarding images in the diaspora section, and so far, nobody there has complained. Why? Because there's no need to—uploading photos there is quite rare. On one hand, you can easily count how many forum members actually post photos regularly; it's limited to two specific threads, and everyone stays happy (at least, that's what I've been told).

Megan White4 said:Those were the good old days... ☕

Of course. What’s permitted for Jupiter isn't necessarily permitted for an ox... or, to put it more plainly: what's acceptable for a moderator doesn't always apply to the average forum user.

It’s hard to argue that a single DM counts as spamming—certainly not compared to someone flooding the boards with endless posts. If you don't start following the Golden Rule, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands.There are certain points that keep popping up in the photography threads. They’re mostly just facts mixed with a little sarcasm and some lighthearted ribbing—hardly what anyone would call heavy insults. If someone finds themselves unable to take a joke, honestly, that's their own problem. ☕

Sure. Let's see who actually holds the moderator titles then... ☕

The good old days. ☕

I have my doubts. ☕

I assume this is directed my way, but what’s the deal with moderators like Kiki? They can be such a pain in the ass, constantly nitpicking over every tiny rule violation and cluttering the forum with posts like "The Golden Rule must be respected." Is it just me, or does that whole vibe feel a bit too much like "Big Brother is watching you"?

Unless they enjoy the privilege of being a forum moderator... It’s a known truth that in certain situations, there’s a clear distinction: What’s the difference between God and a forum moderator? God doesn't walk around thinking he's a forum moderator. ☕

By the way, I know this is off-topic, but I’m genuinely curious about how that works. On the Diaspora subforum, you're allowed to include up to six images per post.That’s the rule, with a few possible exceptions. Meanwhile, over on the photography forum—where there's actually a legitimate reason to include more than a few shots per post—you're strictly capped at four. If you go over, they just wipe the extras regardless of the context. Honestly, that's exactly what triggered this whole mess between me and Kiki.

That is my rule, and it was in place long before Steven Ruiz arrived. It makes sense because on the Diaspora forum, posts with images are rare—they barely show up in two specific threads—whereas on the Photography forum, they make up about 90% of the content. The total number of images posted by my fellow Americans across the entire Diaspora section is practically zero compared to the massive amount in Photography; you simply can't compare the two sections.

coppernomad28 said:I'm wondering where Aaron Garcia36 went?

Greetings, sir.

Aaron Garcia36 is right here; I was away for a bit and just couldn't get onto the Forum.

shadowdrifter34 said:I’m hoping Kiki has some thoughts to share here too ☕

thanks for listening

Someone famous is currently unavailable indefinitely, so please don't take her silence as an attempt to ignore the discussion.

Absolutely nobody...

Haha, no way...

mistycobra13 said:So what about him?

He’s nothing more than a provocateur. I was actually asking for him to be removed from the American expat forums—he was the only user I ever truly looked for.
His entire "purpose" on those boards was just to show up, troll, and stir the pot; people ended up buying way too much junk just because of him (and his antics).
Now he can go whine somewhere else since nobody ever liked him anyway. He even took aim at Key, but honestly, there isn't a single moderator on those American forums who would tolerate him. I've done him a favor by making things easier; he doesn't have a community left to bother.

redpanther said:Now he’s hunting for a real troll to vote against Kim, since she's the one who let all this happen. It looks like he’s completely overwhelmed and can’t even reach his keyboard. A true troll has already dismantled everything he wrote. Why don't you just throw Aaron Garcia36 into the mix too, given her ridiculous attitude? It's hard to say which of them is worse. Kim is clearly overcompensating because she sees your avatar and thinks she can play the same game. And Mary is just the best part of this whole mess because she hasn't a clue what's actually going on.

Are you feeling a bit stung now that you’ve lost access to the overseas community? 😬
Honestly, nobody was missing you, but some people definitely noticed your absence and found their day a little brighter because of it.☕

Who is worse between the two of us? I'll give you the answer... me.

frozenpilot11 said:I’m heading out on a trip in 10 days, and it looks like my period is due right around then. Because of a few different things, I’d really love to push it back. Is it too late to make that happen? Looking for any experiences or advice from you ladies! 🙂 🙂

Talk about perfect timing... back home, you just ask your gynecologist for some pills to take; it's a pretty straightforward process, though I'm not entirely sure how the medical system handles it here in the States.

Ashley Cooper52 said:I have a friend who is incredibly thin—about 5'7" and barely 110 pounds. She went through her pregnancy flawlessly and delivered a perfect baby; she didn't even gain weight during the pregnancy and actually dropped a bit afterward without any trouble. Now, she's under 110 pounds and still breastfeeding a little over a year old.

If I had any theories left about this, her experience completely debunked them, so 🤷🤷

At 5'7", I used to weigh only 101 pounds (dealing with anorexia from every angle, no matter how much I ate). I gained almost no weight during my pregnancy and just pushed through until my due date; the baby was born perfectly at 7.7 pounds, and whatever tiny amount of weight I did put on vanished within a week.

Even with all that, I feel much better now at 121 pounds, even if I still feel thin to myself; it makes me realize what I was putting my body through back then.

Despite my "perfect" pregnancy, I wouldn't recommend an anorexic woman getting pregnant to anyone. You really need to get your health in order by every possible means before trying to conceive; in my case, I simply couldn't raise my weight due to medical reasons.

Alex Patel96 said:Gosh, it’s almost like I have built-in birth control!😂😂

Not really—I was incredibly thin myself and conceived the moment I decided to, though doctors warn it isn't ideal for the baby if the mother is underweight. It seems fertility is a bit of a lottery; some people are just naturally more fertile (myself included), while others genuinely need to focus on physical prep to boost their chances.
It's all highly individual, and being thin doesn't necessarily help everyone.

And by the way, this isn't funny for everyone. I'm not talking about me, but for those who are actually struggling to conceive, it wouldn't hurt to show a little more empathy instead of making jokes.

It’s definitely more challenging to conceive if you’re underweight, which is why people always suggest "preparing" your body for pregnancy beforehand. Of course, it isn't impossible—I actually got pregnant right away despite being very thin—but I later realized that wasn't exactly the smartest move for my health.

I'm not going to waste my breath here; your comment is already sitting right where it belongs—in the ban pile...

Listen, folks, this isn't strictly a gynecological issue. It’s actually a common problem for anyone dealing with constipation; when you're straining, some tissues stretch more than others, while some might even experience small tears near the opening or slightly further up.

Let's pivot this discussion over to general health.

If you’ve had a drink like you say, then everything should be just fine.👍

That’s the perfect dose; anything more would be overkill.

It's all highly subjective; there’s really no such thing as a 'standard' way for the body to react.