Oh no, I've lost my gains

I started pumping for erection assistance. It didn’t really help much but I noticed I’d gotten thicker and longer. With the addition of cialis, I had more hanging and more when erect.

Then from what I’d seen so far I got interested in PE, discovered Thunder’s and wanted to do it right. I started stretching and jelqing, the newbie routine. I lost most of my temporary gains and went from a 4-5 inch hanger back down to a 3. I started at 2.5 so it’s still an improvement.

Even when I do this:
>Warmup
>Stretch
>Jelq
>Pump
>Jelq
>Pump again
It doesn’t get the way it did when I first started pumping.

Today, before playtime with my wife, I just took cialis and pumped and put on a soft silicone ring (around penis once and around testicles/scrotum once. I got pretty big (for me) and stayed very hard for a long time, getting bigger the whole time. Actually achieved a very rigid, veiny, not too discolored (a little red) over 6.5 inch erection. I was busy and didn’t measure girth I just noticed that I was longer and thicker than her favorite vibrator.

What’s up with that. Why will pumping alone give such nice, albeit temporary gains where with stretching and jelqing it doesn’t?

Someone with experience tell me if I’m getting it right to continue to do all 3 in hopes of achieving some permanent gains.

Yes, I understand that after only a little over a month I shouldn’t be expecting to have a permanent beast, but it sure is disheartening when scheduling (or soreness) requires 2-3 days off and it’s all gone and I have to start over.

No, don’t expect to see much gains in a month. Stick with it for a year and see where you are.
I’ve made some good girth gains from pumping, but I’ve been pumping for 8 years.

I’m now combining methods with pumping to take advantage of each. I think each method can compliment the others if done together .
Pumping maximizes the stretching of tissues and gets your penis accustomed to larger expansion. Jelqing along with pumping just adds to the stretching and takes advantage of loosened tissues.
Afterward when my dick is stretched out and fully expanded, I hang, usually at night to keep my penis stretched out.
Now I’m trying to hang and ADS stretch as often and as long as possible during the rest time between pumping days.

I think you will notice gains when you discover that you fill the width of your cylinder much sooner, and you are stretching much farther into the tube.
I remember when hitting 7” was a big deal, and then 7 1/4” was a new milestone. Now my resting position is 7 1/2” and I’m pushing 8” + when fully stretched.

That’s reassuring to know that I can’t expect anything “real” this soon. It is however a disappointment when I’m way bigger than usual for a day or two, then the next day it’s all back to where I started.

I will continue to work on schedule, be patient, take a break when I need one, and see what happens over time.

Thanks.