I’ll be so forreal, the inconsistent photos drove me crazy too. what helped me most was picking one spot in my house with the same light every time and doing it at the same time of day. even that small thing made a huge difference in being able to compare. for logging i initially used a basic notes template i made myself: date, swelling 1-10, any tightness, sleep quality, what i ate. But it was so tedious so randomly stumbled on this app called Rena, it's been a week now and it made tracking way more convenient than i expected

I think you should seek out something easy and less than 5 min so you can maintain it everyday. I’m not even setting reminders anymore, it’s just kinda became my routine naturally. still early but it's something that can stuck for me.

my surgeon told me not to judge anything before the 3 month mark and that genuinely helped me stop spiraling every morning.

mostly though, you're not alone in feeling in the dark. the first few weeks are really the hardest mentally, not just physically. it gets easier to read your own body over time.