After lots of taping and babying, I got to 0g today. I decided to test and see when I got up this morning, and my poor person's stretching kit plugs went straight in. They actually almost went right out the back! Took them out. Did a massage, and they went right back in. A few hours later they were uber pissy and sore, and I looked to see how tight the o-rings were (since the wearable area on them is almost nonexistant) and pulled off the orings. They immediately felt better. Right now I've got no soreness, no blowouts, and no ickyness. Will be switching to a pair of colorfronts before bed so I can have an o-ring on and not have to worry about slippage.
Thanks for the support and advice. It feels good to have done it right - even if it was the second time around. I will definitely be taping from now on.
Pictures later.
Currently: 1g lobes, downsized 2nd holes, 14g septum, two tattoos.
Goal: 1/2" lobes, 1g lobes, 10g or 8g septum, nipple piercings, few more tattoos.