Texas mom's headaches caused by tapeworm sacs

DALLAS, Texas — What started as headaches turned out to be something much worse for Yadira Rostro.

The 31-year-old Garland, Texas, mother never could have prepared herself for what doctors said they found inside her brain: Sacs of larvae from eight tapeworm eggs.

And they were growing.

"Sometimes my sight was impaired... I could not see properly," Rostro said.

With her permission, Methodist Dallas Medical Center shared video of doctors extracting the larvae earlier this month.

"They looked a little bit like eggs, and they have a clear sac," neurosurgeon Richard Meyrat explained. "And inside it, a small tapeworm."

Meyrat said his patient likely picked up the parasite on a trip to Mexico two years ago after ingesting food contaminated with fecal matter.

Usually, the common parasite goes right through you. But the doctor said bad luck led the parasite into Rostro's bloodstream... and then into her brain.

As the eggs grew, fluid slowly backed up in her brain, which caused the headaches.

The images even shocked Dr. Meyrat, who had never seen anything like this before.

Yadira Rostro knows about the pictures, but has chosen not to see them.

"I think shes just happy to be alive," Meyrat said. "Her headaches are gone, and she's feeling better.

And Rostro will make a full recovery after nearly nine months of pain.

"I'm very grateful to God that I'm in his hands," she said.