With a mixed signal on stretching your earlobes with silicone tunnels, who can I believe?

I am trying to go from 3/4" to 1" so I bought some silicone 7/8" tunnels and put them in today. I was at 3/4" for about a year and could pull them out from the tapered side of my tunnels. I have now read that some people have horrible experiences with using silicone and others say it works fine if done properly. I lubricated my ear and the tunnels with jojoba oil and I have been checking them for sticking. they are a bit tender now after 10 hours but I pulled them out and cleaned them and i see no signs of rips or bleeding. should I continue with what I am doing or is there a better way? I have no other 7/8" jewelry available