Lowri Denman, 42, from Cardiff, developed 38 brain parasites after contracting a tapeworm during a two-month trip to India in 2007. The parasitic infection led to a decade of seizures, psychosis, and uncertainty about her future.
Initial Infection and Diagnosis
Four years after her trip, Lowri passed a metre-long tapeworm in the toilet without any prior symptoms. She saw a doctor and believed the worst was over. However, in 2011, she experienced her first tonic-clonic seizure, characterized by stiffness, loss of consciousness, and jerking movements. After a three-month wait for a brain scan, she was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection of the brain caused by larvae of the pork tapeworm.
Lowri had maintained a vegetarian diet during her travels to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses. According to the World Health Organisation, tapeworm infections and neurocysticercosis can result from contaminated water or poor hygiene practices.
Treatment and Flare-Ups
Doctors treated Lowri for epilepsy while consulting tropical disease experts globally. She lost her driving licence and independence, fearing seizures during daily activities. She was prescribed steroids and albendazole, which initially reduced seizures. However, in 2015, the parasites caused a serious flare-up, leading to additional treatment with praziquantel and methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug. Lowri experienced swelling in different parts of her brain when weaning off medication.
“This went on for at least a year, where I was getting more and more ill, more anxious,” she told PA Real Life. “I had to give up work, had to move home to be taken care of.”
Mental Health Decline
Lowri developed severe paranoia and psychosis, leading to a three-month admission to a neuropsychiatric ward in September 2016. She was prescribed mood stabilisers and anti-psychotics alongside her other medications. “I was having panic attacks, I thought I was going to die, I think, and then that turned into paranoia, and then the psychosis came out,” she said.
It remains unclear whether her symptoms were directly caused by the parasites or the stress of prolonged treatment. “Nobody could tell me when I was going to get better,” she added.
Recovery and Podcast Project
Lowri left hospital in January 2017 and moved back in with her father. She has now been seizure-free for 10 years, with her condition managed by medication. To raise awareness and help others, she is creating a 12-part podcast with her friend Nicola Brown, funded through a Crowdfunder campaign raising £25,000. The podcast was shortlisted for 2025’s The Whickers Podcast Pitch Award.
“I spent my whole thirties being ill and anxious and worried, and now I’ve moved into my 40s, I want to do something positive with that negative thing – help other people,” she said.
