My earplugs are irritating my ear canals, and I had fluid behind my ear drums and a bit of pain a few days ago. My hearing is really sensitive; I get irritated by the ultrasonic hums from electronics and impact noises like dishes contacting each other while emptying the dishwasher or lengths of wood being dropped onto concrete when I'm working outside are physically painful without hearing protection, so I wear earplugs almost constantly. They're high-quality reusable silicone ones with filters that are designed to attenuate sound without distorting it, and I've used them for years without problems until now.