Man suffering headaches had tapeworm in brain for 4 years

CAMBRIDGE, England — This is a disturbing one. Prepare yourself. Are you ready?

A 50-year-old man suffering from perpetual headaches over the past few years made a sick discovery after getting his brain biopsied — there was a tapeworm living in his noggin for years.

“Doctors were left baffled after spotting strange ring-like patterns moving 5cm through his brain tissue in a series of scans taken over four years,” the Guardian reports. “Surgeons only discovered the 1cm worm while carrying out a biopsy at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge and took it to parasite experts to be identified.”

The creature traveled from one side of his brain to the other.

Geneticists confirmed that the parasite was called Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, a rare species often found in crustaceans and amphibians.

Experts believe the man picked up the tapeworm while visting China, but the official cause is uncertain.

According to The Guardian, the man had two biopsies and the worm was finally removed.

He was given drugs to help with infection, but continues to suffer from side effects brought on by the prolonged stay of the tapeworm.

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Contact Ashley Casper at acasper@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @TheCasperA