Hello
@MikeO123
You mentioned earplugs hurt your ears...assuming this is regarding foam earplugs...mine as well...I'm guessing it is common. There is a "trick" to making the foam earplugs not hurt as much when wearing them; somebody's Amazon review for 3M foam plugs made me aware of this. I don't know if I ever would've thought of it, or how widely-used it is. It does actually work for me...but I believe it reduces the effectiveness of the foam earplugs slightly...but when you cannot tolerate the pain anymore it makes a huge difference (based on my experience).
There is always room for experimenting with this idea and altering the methodology to whatever works for you. Basically, after you have inserted the foam earplugs and let them expand as you would normally do, then back the earplugs out (by the usual twist-out method), but not all the way, then after waiting a moment to let them expand again, you push them back in with your fingertip(s). Be careful not to push them in too far so that you can't get them out. For me when I push them back in they automatically stop when they hit a bend in the ear canal (I assume that is what's happening), and are quite far in. I don't know what that does and why it helps, but it is not nearly as painful to continue wearing them.
I'm happy this guy shared that info as it has helped me. I do agree with him (as he implied it) that the earplugs are not quite as effective after you do this, but when your ears hurt so much that you can't even think, it is something to do.
For me the occlusion effect is far better with foam earplugs than with custom earplugs, which is why I usually don't wear my custom earplugs when I need to speak.
I own and wear custom "musicians" earplugs for different reasons, the ACS Pro type and Etymotic type (each have their own type of button filters and ACS can make plugs for either type of button even though their website doesn't show an option for the Etymotic type, also Etymotic/ER style earplugs are available through many audiologists and companies)...but again the occlusion effect is there and at times it has been somewhat painful to speak while wearing them. I believe this is partly due to the fact that they do not seal within the ear canal completely since they are relatively hard (silicone vs foam) and cannot press against the canal fully as a foam earplug can. Or possibly simply because they are harder and reflect the sound more. Someone needs to invent a custom earplug that is softer and conforms more to your ear canal...that is what I think.
Here are 2 companies I came across that try to address the occlusion effect with their custom plugs...I do not own and have not tried them, but I sure would like to. The ones from 64 Audio sound like a promising option with a pneumatically interactive vent (not that I understand it), and the ones from Big Ear I believe have a secondary channel and filter within the earplug. If I ever try them out (meaning I purchased them for myself), I will let the TinnitusTalk forum know what I think.
Here are the links...
https://acscustomusa.com/product-category/hearing-protection/
https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearing-protection/erme.html
https://www.64audio.com/product/Custom-EarPlugs
https://www.bigearinc.com/product/custom-earplugs-for-musicians/