After experiencing severe headaches and vomiting, a California man was found to have a live tapeworm inside his brain.
The man, 26-year-old Luis Ortiz, was rushed to the hospital by his parents after blacking out. Doctors saw in X-rays that his brain was swelling and that the worm was inside of a cyst, the L.A. Times reports. A surgeon was able to perform a very complicated and delicate surgery to remove the entire cyst without bursting it, which could lead to infection. When the surgeon pulled it out, the worm was apparently “still wiggling.”
It’s unclear how Ortiz caught this tapeworm, but it likely came from something he ate (perhaps uncooked pork) and moved to his brain from another part of his body. The ordeal led to some memory loss, but after rehab and cognitive therapy, Ortiz has now been released from the hospital.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Melinda French Gates Is Going It Alone
- What to Do if You Can’t Afford Your Medications
- How to Buy Groceries Without Breaking the Bank
- Sienna Miller Is the Reason to Watch Horizon
- Why So Many Bitcoin Mining Companies Are Pivoting to AI
- The 15 Best Movies to Watch on a Plane
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com