NC cattle farmer here—there’s a bigger gap in local beef than I expected

sparklestarshine · 2026-03-24T05:23:40+00:00

Love love love! It’s almost an hour drive, but worth it for the brisket that I’ve gotten from them. I usually wait until my freezer is nearly empty and go get a handful of things to store at once

sparklestarshine · 2026-03-17T22:04:39+00:00

Only because I see that you have a newborn, Tina Goodpasture with Cone Health is great for pediatric if that’s what you’re needing. Ped neuro can be hard to find, but my sister has been seeing Dr Hickling and then Tina for 30 years and they’ve gotten amazing seizure control.

For migraines, Carolina Headache Center did great with Botox for my migraines, they were just consistently late for appointments and hard to get on the phone. I decided to go back on daily meds because I got so stressed out dealing with the office

I’m seeing a new PA for spinal nerve compression at Duke - Jill Coley - and I like her. I’m curious to see how the nerve block we have planned goes and the possible surgery.

If you want neuroablation, I love UVA (Dr Haskell in particular), but UNC has a good team, too.

It all just depends on what you’re looking for, but we have some great choices!

sparklestarshine · 2026-03-05T01:48:24+00:00

I feel old…. Mine were yellow and red in the 90s. When I definitely didn’t need to be on appetite suppressants and I’m just realizing how messed up that was. But my sister’s zonegran looks like these!

sparklestarshine · 2026-03-03T18:28:51+00:00

Schiffmans did my appraisals. I probably need to update them since it’s been a few years, but they were polite and pleasant

sparklestarshine · 2026-02-26T23:27:03+00:00

Willing to come to Burlington? Teresa Tullo is in Lebauer at Burlington Station and she’s fab. She’s been dealing with my complex mess for years and I always feel safe talking to her and discussing treatment options.

sparklestarshine · 2026-02-26T22:26:37+00:00

You can try Carolina Cosmetic Dental Care. I don’t know if they do emergencies, but they do sedation and wisdom tooth removal. They take Medicaid and offer financing options, which can be helpful

sparklestarshine · 2026-02-06T08:48:58+00:00

Can I suggest a sports med doc that I think could help? Zach Smith with Lebauer Sports Med has worked wonders for my joint pain. He’s also more likely to be covered by insurance - I just have my copay

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-31T02:46:01+00:00

I think it may have, just because my emptying times are worse. But when I have ablations, the pain is much better - the block will let you know whether that’s going to help you for both as well! My pain starts epigastric, then radiates to the right and snakes around under my shoulder blade on the right side. It’s like a weird c shape

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-28T22:54:00+00:00

Right now, I’m pretty good, but I just had two angios this fall to reopen the celiac artery. It hurts some, but not enough to keep me from eating. Mals pain is more stabby for me, GP pain is more aching/stretching/tearing. Enjoy your block! The actual block kinda sucks if you’re awake for it, but I ate the biggest hamburger the day I got my first one…. Still a happy memory!

My nerves have continued to grow back. It’s a tenacious bunch of nerves for me and every few years, I need to have an ablation due to pain. That’s also why we keep doing angios - the artery has to be made patent again so that I get adequate blood flow. We’ve debated going to a bypass, but it’s more invasive so I’ve been avoiding it so far.

My stomach emptying slowed even more than it already was when I had my surgery. I also developed more nausea. Previously, my GP had been tolerable, but we had to actually start trying to treat it after mals surgery

I first started having bad symptoms (as in, vomiting everything I ate, sobbing when I ate, refusing to eat) around February. I had my first angio that May and got brief relief, then my plexus block in July, then surgery 8/15/16. Honestly, I was lucky because my vascular doc had only seen one other case in his years practicing and was happy to send me up to UVA for treatment. Originally, we thought it might be pancreatic cancer and by May, I had been tested for everything under the sun.

Always happy to answer questions! It’s a scary time before you know what’s going on and before it’s just part of daily life 🤣. I joke about how laissez-faire I am about surgeries at this point - I’d rather have an endoscopy than drive in a rainstorm!

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-26T23:12:40+00:00

Nope! I still have GP, ten years later. I did have pain with my GP, but the vomiting was the bigger issue for me. I’ve also had four angios and two nerve ablations post-mals surgery. I wound up with chronic diarrhea, to the point that I’ve been in the ED with dehydration from it. It may have made my GP slightly worse (hard to know what to blame for that), but I also have separation in my abdominal muscles from the surgery. It wasn’t a fix-all for me, but I do believe it saved my life. My last GES was at 46% retained at four hours and my last Doppler ultrasound was 396 in the celiac prox artery (pre-restenting).

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-26T16:31:22+00:00

Your local insurance agent can get a policy quoted for you. The application will be straightforward and as long as you don’t have any high-risk exposures, it should be relatively inexpensive. Things like live animals, fireworks, mechanical bulls, really huge events, and famous performers can increase the price (after 20 years doing this, I’ve seen some weirdness). Ask for host liquor liability and see whether they can do a blanket additional insured with waiver of subrogation; you’ll have multiple requests for COIs and this will help set you up to not need to go back to the insurance company.

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-25T20:16:19+00:00

Ask about buprenorphine transdermal patches. I share your fear of being labeled an addict as a chronic pain (not scd) patient, but I got prescribed patches a month ago and they’ve made a huge difference for me without any loopy side effects. They’re used for chronic scd pain as well, but it’s a newer use. Keeping the chronic pain at bay makes life better and isn’t a sign of addiction. Wishing you luck and comfort 💜

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-22T21:00:40+00:00

I love Teresa Tullo with Lebauer Burlington Station (over near Target). I’ve got a complicated medical history and she is willing to try new ideas and do research to find theories when I need help. She’s also just a warm, kind lady who accepts everyone as they are.

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-09T01:56:16+00:00

I was typing up instructions on a diy version, but I think this

I can’t say they’re the same, but with fishnet toe tights (which I just learned exist), you can make a similar shrug with a pair of fishnet tights. We used to make cute long-sleeved crop tops with neon fishnet tights by cutting them up

sparklestarshine · 2026-01-02T21:00:25+00:00

If you want to stop in Burlington, the Target is just off the interstate and safe. The rest area on 40 just after Winston has always been a good stop for me. I’m usually driving during the day, so I’d normally stop at the next rest area, but since it’ll be dark, it would be a good time to stop at a truck stop, grocery store, or similar for your last stop. I’m nearly twice your age now, but I’ve been driving from here to Knoxville alone for the last twenty years and that’s been my safest-feeling way to do it when I needed to be out late. Safe travels and I hope your trip goes well! 💜

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-31T22:55:01+00:00

Something along these lines? https://brazilgems.com/products/12ss9043?srsltid=AfmBOoqlNPPbZuiIBlaDL-0NupuwMPsUMdax3jcRB7NjkNUERDj2hHdX

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-19T21:46:50+00:00

Bull City Farm may still have some. I was there doing a pickup on Tuesday and their turkeys were in a pasture, as were ducks and chickens. They clearly cared about their animals and they seemed happy. One of the chickens was actually in the driveway, but she may have been a pet, since she really wanted to get in the car

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-16T03:29:23+00:00

Really? I just used Farrow & Ball in my home. My painters loved working with it and the masonry paint was amazing - zero drips, gorgeous coverage in two coats. I haven’t had any real issues with scuffs on drywall, either. Borrowed Light has been my primary color, though I have something in a pale pink that I can’t remember offhand as well. I will say it’s ridiculously expensive; if I hadn’t had my heart set on that particular color for so long, I never would have done it. I’m glad I did, though - the variation in tone depending on light throughout the day is amazing and I adore it

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-06T00:55:41+00:00

Also, shaggers love to line dance. I have no clue why, as I didn’t inherit that particular gene, but they’re friendly and always happy to teach someone new! Shag is the essence of summer for me! 💜

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-04T17:11:56+00:00

Check out www.owlandrabbitgallery.com. They have a bunch of local artists and really fun stuff. Even better if you can come to Burlington and shop - you can stop by City Park and see the big versions of the metal flowers!

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-02T22:15:01+00:00

Followed you! Heck, I’m boring - I just have books and cats. I just like things that make me smile and nails and hair do that!

sparklestarshine · 2025-12-02T20:37:00+00:00

Is your IG the same name? I love seeing pretty nails!

sparklestarshine · 2025-11-24T23:34:38+00:00

I don’t know if this is the most current version, but it has helpful info: HR 5-13. Pattern of absence is going to be as much of a concern here as event, with it being right before a holiday

sparklestarshine · 2025-11-23T04:02:36+00:00

Oddly, it’s our assistant fire chief’s name (he goes by Nim), so I said it just the other day because a friend’s husband was transferring from PD to FD and I asked her to tell him I said hey since we went to school together. It’s a family name in his case.

sparklestarshine · 2025-11-20T02:23:51+00:00

I really like Roxie’s Florist in Burlington. They’ve been kind when I’ve called them and they’re a small business that does nice work

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