Ok, thanks! That's a good message!
Oh and I have made my decision! I'll try out for basketball! I have decided like this because I know I would't be happy in my exchange anymore if I do no try out! I know it's a great risk and I have to take all the reponsibility if smt would happen which i do not hope! So cross the fingers for me guys and thanks for for support and help altough I am doing something really stupid now!

Lui,

Your parents are used to the German over-control of medicines. There are safeguards that medicines go through here before they are allowed to be sold over-the-counter. (not by prescription of a doctor)

Ibuprophen is a very safe drug when used according to recommended standards.

Are you still having head aches?

Ok, no I don't have any headaches since weeks. Just this brain fog and sometimes ringing in the ears...

Lui,

Be prepared for the ringing in the ears (tinnitus) to be a occasional issue for the rest of your life. If you don't have prolonged tinnitus, consider yourself extremely fortunate. The only difference I ever have with my tinnitus is the volume. Sometimes, I can ignore it but often it is like a stuck door bell.

Please don't play basketball if you have any brain fog that day. It means your reactions will likely be slow and you will be putting yourself at additional risk.

Wait...it will stay forever? Even if I would rest and I would do nothing? The ringing is driving me crazy. I had this issue before but after the injury it got stronger. It's so loud I can not sleep at night! Oh before I forget. Last week my ears were really hurting and I felt pressure. Could it just be a middle ear inflammation?

An antihistamine may reduce the pressure in your ear. If it does not, a visit to an ENT (ear nose throat doctor) may be worthwhile. A pharmacist at the drug store can make a good recommendation of a safe antihistamine.

It will help if you have some light music playing when you go to sleep. It takes a bit of practice but the best remedy for tinnitus is to learn to ignore it and/or focus on another sound.

Thank you for all the tips Mark. I will ask my host parents if they could take me to this ENT thing. They are probably to lazy to drive me there but whatever. What a great exchange I'm having right? My parents will freak out about the ear ringig stuff(both musicians) but yeah thank u all for the great help!

If you were concussed from heading a ball then you are very sensitive. I was concussed from heading a ball in October 2010. I was fine the next day and continued with contact sports.

But the next time a got a hit to the head, in March 2011, I was not fine the next day, in fact my life was terrible for more than a year afterwards and I continue to worry about the long term effects.

If I could go back in time and give myself some advice I would obviously tell myself that being concussed from heading a ball is a clear sign that there is something wrong with my brain, and to stop before I have serious problems.

I can't go back in time and give this advice to myself, but I can give it to you, who are in the same situation as I was before my injury - don't ever play contact sports again. Find something else you enjoy - there are plenty of fun things to do in the world that do not require you to be hit on the head. You can't afford any more impacts.

Hey, just returned from basketball. I mean it's fun. Just felt a bit dizzy afterwards and got blurry vision in between...I will se how the next days are going. If it's getting worser I'll stop!

Hi Liu,
Don't want to keep going on at you but i just wanted to check that you haven't misunderstood what some of us have been saying.

I agree with you that the normal activity of playing basketball shouldn't be too bad. It might make you a bit dizzy, but then a lot of things make us dizzy and we can usually get better with a bit of rest. Exercise has been shown to be good for the brain so playing basketball might actually be a good thing for you in this sense.

The reason I advise you not to play it isn't because normal basketball would make you worse. What I am worried about is the next time you get hit on the head with the ball, collide with another player, fall over and hit your head on the floor or collide with a post.

The evidence, as well as the personal experience of myself and many others is that if you have had a concussion then future concussions will happen more easily, and will take longer to recover from. You have had a concussion just from heading a ball, so your next concussion could happen even more easily than that.

If you keep playing basketball then sooner or later you will definitely get a significant blow to the head. It doesn't matter how careful you are, this is just one of the things that happens in basketball. When that happens it is likely that the horrible experience you have had will return, but for longer, and with worse symptoms.

That is all I'm saying. Good luck with whatever you decide.