In an Emergency Procedure, A Man from California had a live Parasite removed from his Brain. He is now recovering.
When Luis Ortiz was visiting his mother in Napa in August, he had the worst headache of his life. He had just started his senior year at Sacramento State.
Luis was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center by paramedics after his mother called 911. He had a tapeworm in his brain, which necessitated immediate surgery, according to a brain scan. Luis was then informed by the doctor that he only had about 30 minutes to live.
During an emergency brain surgery, camera-equipped equipment found parasitic tapeworm larvae emerging from a cyst that prevented blood from reaching Luis’ brain.
I thought, “That doesn’t sound so good. Ugh. When the doctor said that it was still wobbly when he took it out, I thought it didn’t sound good. How likely is it that I have say, a parasite in my head? “Louis spoke out.
Doctors say there are several ways the parasite could get into Luis’ body.
“I said, I haven’t,” and they asked me if I had just eaten raw pork, swim in a river, or visited a third-world country. “But I’m not sure how long i had the worm in my skull.” Louis stated.
Each of the six main kinds of tapeworms that infect humans can be identified by the animal it comes from. Consuming undercooked meat can result in an infection with parasites in the gastrointestinal tract, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Consuming food prepared by an infected person, who then transmits the larvae through poor sanitation and hygiene, can result in encephalitis. The larvae can migrate to the brain after they have eaten.
According to the CDC, the pig tapeworm is responsible for 1,000 annual hospital admissions in the United States.
Luis stated that he desired to graduate and continue his life.
Louis stated, “It is certainly more useful to live” because “if I had waited a little longer, I would not be here now.”