TIA symptoms but ALL tests come back negative for anything

@hakablue i believe you’re playing with fire. A TIA or TIA like symptoms should alert you to something’s going on in your brain that’s not normal. Doctors don’t know everything about the human body but they do a pretty good job and learn more every day. If you’re considering dumping medicine for homeopathy try doing both simultaneously instead.

Actually my family doctor had labeled it an ischemic stroke which makes sense because I have Throphilia a blood cutting issue. I have brain damage from aneurysms and three craniotomy’s in 2000. So thinking is a problem, brain fog, memory issues, concentration, verbal communication comprehension. Last October there was a noticeable decline in my thinking and concentration so I requested a referral to a neurologist from family doctor. Contacted their office and was told if I wanted Migraine help they could get me right in but if I wanted an. appointment for cognitive issues six months , so I made the six month appointment and waited. Finally went to appointment and started talking about cognitive isdues. He stopped me and said oh no this appointment is for Migraines if you want to discuss cognitive issues make another appointment. I was stunned and furious. I have frontal lobe damage so anger is not a good look for me to express. I exchanged emails pointing out his error and he still wanted to deflect blame. I looked up practice and they are a Botox factory for treating migraines. Explained issue with neurologist with my family doctor and she did a referral to the same practice, different doctor. Their scheduling staff called and said they needed to do a MRI, well I have multiple metal clips in my brain and a MRI will kill me. I left a message for the doctor office saying exactly that and have not heard from them since. I gave up locally and have a telehealth appointment with neurologist at Cleveland Clinic. My faith in doctors is at an all time low, I’m planning to retire at 62 instead of 70 as planned. I have been treating my migraines with herbal tea, supplement and neck and spine adjustments. It’s done wonders almost completely headache free. They are more tension than migraine. I’m still trying the neurologist route and all the other health issues but my patience is running out. Thanks for your suggestions

Hi, I’m glad I found this thread. My wife has had these Tia symptoms recently, but all tests come back negative. She had the first, and most severe episode Aug 9th, 2025 and went to the ER. They sent her home after an CT and MRI and in 2 days she had another episode and went back to the ER. They admitted her and she had 5 episodes in one day, but then appeared to get better with doxycline as they thought it was Lymes. After 5 days as an IP she was looking like she was improving, so they sent her home. She seemed to get better but after a few days at home she started to feel bad again and has episodes once every 2 or 3 days. She’s had a constant pressure headache after the 1st episode and the headache is now spreading to more areas of the head and ears and even teeth now. We’re very scared and have received no effective treatment. My wife can’t do any activity for longer than 5 mins before she has to take a break because she gets so tired. Nobody seems to know what is causing this. They just ruled out all the serious things from the MRIs, spinal tap, bloodwork, and neuro tests eeg and Emg. We saw a stroke neurologist today with no answers and are now referred to a headache clinic and a general neurologist. If anyone has had a treatment, natural or medical, please let me know, we’ll try anything within reason. It’s scary bc she was perfectly healthy prior to her first episode and now she can’t do much and is scared when she has these episodes.

So sorry to hear this is happening to your wife. I was (as well as all the associated doctors I’ve come in contact with) as dumbfounded as you and is why I shared my story. Although others have also shared similar stories, I’m still in the dark about it all. It was somewhat comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one. Still hoping some grad student looking for something to write a thesis on someday will find these threads and investigate (at the universities expense of course) these situations. At any rate, thankyou for sharing your story. I hope you guys find some answers soon.

We have a similar situation as about 15 years ago my husband had what I thought was a TIA. He went to the ER and was released the next day after tests were inconclusive. He was told it could be MS. A neurologist ruled that out. He did not have any more (evident) episodes but had one in the middle of the day about five years ago. Another trip to the ER and more inconclusive tests. It has been a confusing and frustrating journey since then. We finally went to Mayo where they diagnosed them as TIAs - probably been having them for years. His official diagnosis now is CAA.
I do not have much advice or a solution- except to say you are not alone. Think about doing to a Mayo Clinic for a comprehensive evaluation. Find a doctor that seems to care (it is hard. )

And you might try a chiropractor. Regular adjustments from my chiropractor helped to lessen the severity of my migraines.

Peace be with you

I find that often with TIAs one test that is not done is an ECHO with bubble study. The bubble study identifies the rare person with a small hole in the heart that can let clots from the body travel to the head and cause a stroke or TIA. It is uncommon but many feel all TIA patients without a known cause should have one

I agree 100%. My doctor talked me into getting it done but still no problem there.

Never going to find the rare person with a fixable PFO if you don’t check

What is CAA?????????

I’ve had it where tests don’t show anything, when in ER, and I suspect something is wrong, but then a year or two later, or perhaps a few weeks later, I run into big trouble, and realize those initial problems, were warnings! An example, I was treated for a bad fall, where I got head trauma, concussion etc., but tests showed no cause. A year later, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Another example, I had rapid heartbeat, over 6 hours, and over 180 heartbeats per minute. When I was checked later, with an ECG, by a cardiologist, he said my ECG looked perfectly normal. He sent me for a heart ultrasound, and said my heart was beating normally, and in good condition. A year later, or so, I had a major Arterial Fibrillation episode! A third example, I had gastric discomfort, nausea, and vomiting, and went in to Dr., where he prescribed proton pump type medicine. He gave me a lecture on fatty liver disease, which he suspected. About 3 weeks later, I had a severe pain, mid lower stomach area, where I was hurting so much, I was bent over. My wife took me to ER, and a good Doctor got a CT scan. They found Acute severe Pancreatitis, and the Doc sent me by ambulance, to the nearest large regional hospital ( about an hour and a half away ). When I got there, they found out I was starting to go septic, and I went through 2 operations, removing gall bladder and stones! I was in hospital for a week and a half! So, I find it important to notice, when I feel that something is going wrong, and my body is trying to tell me something, that, even though the Docs state that they can’t find something wrong, at first, that it could be a warning, that something could be seriously wrong, so one should stay alert, and aware of subtle symptoms! Good luck, and have patience!