This is Indiana University PhD student Yamini Karanam. The 26-year-old decided to seek medical help after she started having problems listening to conversations.
Karanam told NBC4 News that she could not understand what was going on when two or more people were talking at the same time.
Writing on her blog in March, Karanam said she began experiencing headaches, then started making "slips and misses" at work and found herself struggling to read.
Doctors investigated and thought they discovered a tumour, although different experts could not agree on what action to take.
So, using $32,000 her friends had raised, the PhD student went to the Skull Base Institute in Los Angeles, the Washington Post reported.
It was there that her surgeon, Dr Hrayr Shahinian, made a remarkable discovery.
During keyhole surgery, Shahinian discovered a teratoma, also known as an embryonic twin, in Karanam’s brain.
![The teratoma was reportedly found with bone, hair, and teeth.Karanam jokingly referred to it as her "evil twin" during an interview with NBC4 News.“[It’s] has been torturing me for the last 26 years, can you believe it?” she said.Doctors have now removed the teratoma, and Karanam is expected to make a full recovery.](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-04/23/7/enhanced/webdr14/original-1902-1429789862-7.png)
The teratoma was reportedly found with bone, hair, and teeth.
Karanam jokingly referred to it as her "evil twin" during an interview with NBC4 News.
“[It’s] has been torturing me for the last 26 years, can you believe it?” she said.
Doctors have now removed the teratoma, and Karanam is expected to make a full recovery.
Karanam told the Washington Post she had felt some kind of emotional connection to her "twin" after it was discovered.
"I was stuck with it much longer than I thought," she said.
"It doesn't leave you much choice other than to deal with it the best you can."
Here's NBC4 News' report on Karanam's story.
View this video on YouTube
BuzzFeed News has also contacted Karanam for further information.
Richard James is the News Director for BuzzFeed Australia and is based in Sydney.
Contact Richard James at richard.james@buzzfeed.com.
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