If the foam ear plugs are uncomfortable, you probably need to spend the money and get some musicians' ear plugs. They are custom fitted to your ear.

If the yellow foam ear plugs did not seem to work, it sounds like they may not have been in far enough. You need to roll or twist them real tight and small. they should go in deep so that only the tip is visible and able to be grasped. As they relax, they should fit comfortably. The pilot gave them to you because they are the mainstay for pilots who have lots of experience with noise.

Ear/head phones also can work good. the Bose and other noise canceling head phones are much more expensive. Some people swear by them. If you are going to spend the money for a set of noise canceling head phones, for $30 to $40 you can buy a decent MP3 player and rip some music or other audio entertainment to play on them. The IPod is not the only MP3 player.

I wonder if you just need to get used to the sound of using ear plugs. I looked at the Etymotic ear plugs and ear plug phones. They look interesting. The sound reduction capability is confusing, 15 to 35 dB.

Lots of options for your trip.

I don't envy your long flight.