has the doctor missed a brain tumour?

[ellie_C_mason1990]

my mum has had mild face pain/headaches for a few weeks now. she said they feel like flu headaches but without the flu. she also feels a bit dizzy. she went to the doctor once and they just said take paracetomal and then come back if that doesn't work.
she went again and they have given her anti depressants (apparently they work for face pain??) and the doctor said she is not worried at all that it is anything sinister.
but of course in my head she is wrong, i can't stop crying and i'm trying to do work but cannot settle my head.
should i encourage my mum to push for a scan or something?
or is the doctor right?:(

[emlica]

Well, the doctor does sound a bit 'offhand', but it's highly unlikely that those symptoms are a brain tumour. It sounds much more like sinus pain to me. I had what was a fairly mild cold virus but with really annoying lingering symptoms that came and went, and in the last week or so I've also had headaches and pain in my cheekbones - doctor says blocked sinuses. Can cause dizziness as well as your sinuses can affect your ears, which affect balance. From what you've said, if I was your mum I'd probably try to see a different doctor, but not because I think the first one has missed anything as serious as a brain tumour!

[ellie_C_mason1990]

Yes, from reading across the message boards it seems there is a lot of sinus stuff going around. So I hanged onto that explanation but the doctor dismissed that too as it didn't get worse when she moved her head suddenly?!
But then maybe the doctor is wrong about that!
Instead of convincing myself it is a brain tumour, I shall try the opposite seeing as all the signs point that way.
thanks so much for your help :)