Star, I have to say I see nothing wrong with your plan of action or what you did. Did you read the chapter in DB about cheeseless tunnels? It says if one thing doesn't work, do something different.
You're doing something different. And, I think this will be beneficial to you. It's hard to detach, and act as if, but it does help your PMA. I did this with my H and it helped.
So give it a try for a couple weeks ... see if you see any results.
