She was operated on for a brain tumor. Instead, the doctors found a tapeworm

Editor's Note: The following story contains photos of a lone worm.

When doctors at a New York hospital opened a patient's skull, they thought she was suffering from a brain tumor, but instead they discovered something which made them scratch their heads.

They found a tapeworm.

According to the Washington Post, Rachel Palma began experiencing all kinds of symptoms in January 2018, including hallucinations, insomnia, confusion and difficulty keeping things.

After several visits to her doctor and in the emergency room, she went to see Mount Sinai Hospital specialists who identified a brain injury, the newspaper reported.

But when doctors opened his skull and performed a small dissection of brain tissue during a surgical procedure in September 2018, they discovered an object that "looked like a quail egg," according to CNN.

Dr. Jonathan Rasouli, chief resident of neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told CNN that he had placed the legion under a microscope. When he opened it, a "baby tapeworm" appeared.

Rasouli told ABC7 that they were "delighted" and that they were applauding and applauding in the operating room when they discovered that it was not a brain tumor .

"She had a single parasite in her head that we were able to eliminate – we were very happy … It was one of those rare situations where you see a parasite and you're like, wow, that's it. "Is awesome", Rasouli says TODAY "HUI.

The doctors diagnosed him with neurocysticercosis, which is an infection caused by a pork tapeworm.

We still do not know how the parasite got into her brain because she has never traveled outside of the United States and said she did not remember eating raw meat, but she told ABC7 that She was no longer asking questions and was starting to make the most of her life.