Most of us know about bugs and parasites that get trapped in your stomach, but what about if there’s one stuck in your brain? Rebecca Palma knows. She thought she had a brain tumor, but when it turned out to be something much worse, doctors had to change the entire procedure. Read on to find out what happened behind the scenes…
Rebecca’s Problems
Rebecca Palma from New York was healthy on the outside. At 42-years old, she lived a relatively normal life. That is until the brain problems started. She was dropping things, getting lost, forgetting where items went. Something was wrong…
Conditions Get Worse
The longer she waited to get help, the worse her condition became. The slip-ups developed into hallucinations, insomnia, nightmares, and her right hand suddenly stopped working. She needed help…
Scanning the Scene
She decided to get an MRI done. After several scans, the doctors could not decide what caused her many problems. The symptoms got worse, and Palma decided to change her approach…
Mount Sinai
Seven months after the symptoms first appeared, Palma got a diagnosis from the medical team at Mount Sinai. It was an unusual tumor and it’d be a difficult surgery to remove it. It wasn’t until the opening cut that they discovered the truth…
Tapeworm Tumor
Dr. Jonathan Rasouli began the surgery and saw not a tumor, but something much more strange. The cut revealed a slimy tapeworm wriggling around the patient’s brain…
A Sigh of Relief
Contrary to what you might believe, this discovery was actually celebrated. A tapeworm would be much easier to remove than a tumor. With an easier goal in mind, the doctors went to work…
Tapeworms in Nature
Typically, tapeworms live in the intestines of animals, famously eating the foods that their host is eating, slowly starving them. They’re flat and are found in countries all over the world, but not usually in America…
The Correct Diagnosis
Palma was treated for neurocysticercosis, a disease found when pork parasites lay eggs that are ingested by the new host. The larvae can move through the eyes, muscles, skin, and brain. Palma was pretty unlucky, but not uncommon…
Burrowing in the Brain
Although the larvae can burrow anywhere, they typically shoot for the brain. This is due to the robust blood supply in the brain. All the better to supply a healthy tapeworm…
How It Happened
The only way to contract the parasite is to eat a tapeworm egg, but Palma never ate anything undercooked or even traveled out of the country. So what happened?
Mystery Unsolved
Well, no one really knows how or why Palma contracted the parasite. There’s no confirmed reason, but Palma is happy with how everything turned out. She’s actually thrilled that she had the tapeworm tumor…
Happy and Healthy
While most people wouldn’t celebrate a tapeworm in their brain, but Rebecca knows that the alternative could have been much worse. “The good news is, I don’t have cancer,” said the patient. Now, recovery could begin…
Treating a Tapeworm
Luckily, the tapeworm could easily be removed. Rebecca just took some antibiotics and is now living life parasite free. She learned a lot from the experience…
A New Lease on Life
Palma has decided not to dwell on her situation. About the incident, she said, “I stopped asking questions and started celebrating and making the most out of life because, in an instant, it can be taken away.” For some, it is…
Doctors Disorders
The doctors are happy with their patient’s recovery, though they do worry about the mystery of her disease. Dr. Rasouli commented that “She didn’t have any risk factors for this before surgery, no recent history of travel. She doesn’t have an interaction with somebody who travels a lot. It’s a mystery to us all. We’re still scratching our heads.” Some theorize it could be indicative of a larger problem…
Coyle’s Concern
Christina Coyle, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Department of Medicine’s parasitology expert, worries an epidemic might be lurking, saying “[t]he suspicion of neurocysticercosis in someone who hasn’t traveled is low. We’re talking about a handful of people who’ve acquired it in the U.S.”
Telling the Tale
Not everyone is as lucky as Rebecca. One teenager in India had a similar story. It all started when he was experiencing pains and seizures, seemingly for no reason…
Scary Symptoms
Just like Rebecca, he started showing strange symptoms, like a swelling above his right eye and cysts on his genitalia. The doctors needed to figure something out, and quick…
MRI Results
After an MRI, the tests revealed a diagnosis of cysticercosis on his outer layer, cerebral cortex, and brain stem, which is similar to Rebecca’s condition. He had been infected with a tapeworm, and things were only going to get worse…
Cysticercosis Explained
In cysticercosis, a parasitic larva from the Taenia solium tapeworm creates cysts on the brain, muscles, and tissues. It can also cause seizures, just like the ones the teen experienced…
Who Can Get Cysticercosis
Patients with the disease can contract it from swallowing tapeworm eggs, just like the disease that Rebecca Palma contracted, though hers was inexplicable…
The Gross Truth
The tapeworm eggs are often found in the fecal matter of someone else who is hosting a tapeworm in their intestines. The infection is easier to avoid if you know where you’re more likely to get it…
Infectious Places
Though parasites can and will show up out of nowhere, the most common locations of infection are Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Anywhere with poor sanitation and free-range pigs is at risk…
The Patient’s Peril
The Indian teen would normally be given anti-parasitic drugs, but due to the inflammation in his brain, was forced to do without. Doctors worried the drugs would blind him or swell the brain. The lack of medication would prove to be very damaging down the line…
Experts Weigh In
Experts say the disease is preventable with multiple interventions. Some of these preventions include improved sanitation, better hygiene, safety in food preparation, and patient treatment. For the teen though, none of this was enough…
Passing On
Unfortunately, without the preventions and antibiotics, the teen passed away only two weeks after his initial doctor visit. Infections of Taenia solium tapeworms are deadly serious…
Extreme Circumstances
Neurocysticercosis is a very common cause of seizures worldwide. Though doctors say the teen and Rebecca both have extremely rare cases, there are some ways to prepare and prevent infections like these.
Staying Safe
Dr. Rasouli recommends that when visiting another country, avoid raw and undercooked meats, as parasites often use these products as their breeding grounds. Rebecca wishes she had the chance to avoid the tapeworm…
Life Regained
Rebecca is extremely grateful that her doctors were able to help. “There is not a doubt in my mind that they saved my life, and they gave me my life back,” she said. So what now?
Moving Forward
Now, Rebecca is hoping her story will inspire other medical teams and bring awareness to the plight of tapeworms. For now, she’s happy, healthy, and parasite free!