Listen to Your Body; Panama’s Seafood Exports Grow 11.3%; Minsa Strengthens Dengue Control Operations.

Friday, August 15, 2025. Listen to Your Body — Before It Screams at You A month after my back surgery, I was healing well. Pain was easing, mobility was improving, and I had started to think the hardest part was behind me. Then one afternoon, riding shotgun while my wife drove, a dump truck cut us off in traffic. She braked hard. I instinctively did the same, except I was the passenger. That single reflex triggered a cascade of pain down my right leg. It was bad enough to send me to the ER. They gave me medication and sent me home. But the pain didn’t ease. In fact, it got worse, and then came something new: my big toe went numb, half my foot followed, and it started to feel cold. I waited five days, telling myself it was just the nerve pain. When I finally went back to the ER, my case landed in the hands of none other than “Dr. House” or at least his real-life personality double. Quick, sharp, and sarcastic, he listened to my complaints, took one look at me, and said: House: “Well, obviously this man has acute S1 radiculopathy… back pain shooting down the leg, numb big toe, half the foot asleep. That’s straight from a first-year neuro lecture. But here’s what you all missed: the foot isn’t just numb, it’s cold. That’s not nerves, that’s blood supply. Let’s check the pulses… Dorsalis pedis? Nothing. Posterior tibial? Barely a whisper. Get me an angio CT.” Minutes later, the scan told the full story: “Well, surprise, surprise you have an infrapopliteal arterial occlusion. I don’t expect you to know what that means. The tibial anterior, tibial posterior, and peroneal arteries are hanging on by filiform flow, and the plantar arch might as well be a dead end. So congratulations, you’ve managed to present us with a rare two-for-one special: a crushed S1 nerve root and acute limb ischemia from an arterial thrombus. One is cutting off the signal, the other is cutting off the blood. That’s why you’re losing both sensation and circulation. All of that and you didn’t even allow your wife to have a REAL accident, just a brake pump. Get this man into surgery, before he loses his entire leg, or dies, people!!” Two surgeries later, I kept my leg, foot and toes. But the truth is, the day my foot went cold, I should have been in the ER immediately. I could have avoided a lot of pain and risk if I had recognized that this wasn’t just “more of the same” pain from my back.  I could have also avoided a lot of cell damage.  My calf muscle is noticeably smaller and the whole leg is weaker that the other.  I still have numbness in my big toe and my foot is still a little colder than the other due to 5 days of no oxygen.  The gama of meds they have me taking should put everything back to where it was however, over the course of the next year. The Takeaway We often tell ourselves to “tough it out,” to wait and see if it gets better, to not “make a fuss.” But your body doesn’t send new, alarming symptoms as casual conversation. They’re signals which are sometimes urgent and ignoring them can turn a manageable issue into a crisis. So, if you don’t want to be schooled (and insulted) by your own version of Dr. House, listen to your body. Act early. And never assume that a new symptom is “just part of the old problem.” Brett MikkelsonDirector, B.M. Investigations, Inc. TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: ARAP Reports Panamanian Seafood Exports Grow 11.3% Panama’s seafood exports reached a value of B/.516.3 million during the first half of 2025, representing an 11.3% growth compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from the Panama Aquatic Resources Authority (ARAP). ARAP attributes the result to government policiesThe report highlights that international markets—especially in Asia and the United States—continue to show strong demand for Panamanian seafood products. This performance is attributed to government policies, as well as the implementation of improved practices in traceability and fishing transparency, factors that have strengthened the competitiveness of the export sector. A sector spokesperson emphasized the importance of ensuring that seafood exports remain free from any form of trade discrimination, stressing that although the process requires investment in logistical and technical resources, the institutional commitment is to maintain these standards and secure an annual budget for their compliance. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Panama Promotes Sustainable Shipping Routes from the IMO During the most recent session of the United Nations Security Council, President José Raúl Mulino reaffirmed Panama’s commitment to international maritime security and the protection of the global ecosystem, highlighting the country’s leading role in the International Maritime Organization (IMO). “The IMO is not just an international organization of which Panama is a member. Today, a Panamanian presides over it, and that commits us even more to a mission that is not new to us,” the president stated. In his address, Mulino underscored the relevance of the Panamanian merchant marine—one of the largest in the world—as a key player in discussions on maritime safety, the protection of seafarers, and the prevention of transnational crimes. “This issue was raised not only by Panama but by many other countries. Maritime security is a shared responsibility, and Panama is at the center of that conversation,” he affirmed. The president also stressed the need for large vessels to sail without polluting, as part of global efforts against climate change. “We cannot look at this through the narrow lens of interests. It’s about global, international prevention for the ecosystem. If Panama is one of the very few carbon-negative countries today, it’s because we are aligned with that reality. That is why we fully support the IMO’s decisions,” he concluded. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Minsa Intensifies Dengue Operations: 8,740 Cases and 14 Deaths in 2025 The Ministry of Health