I can relate. Both knees had birth defects so they've been bad all my life. In the 80s they said I'd need replacements, but not until I was in my late 50s. I have been on anti-inflammatories since the 80s. It's scary about the side effects that I knew nothing about until learning about them on Bonesmart. I've cut back on them by 1/4, but find them necessary for me to have any type of good quality of life. Shortly before my knee was a year old, I stepped in a hole, rolled my foot inward and broke my ankle and two bones in my foot. I was angry, to say the least! But, I didn't have to have surgery, praise the Lord!
I pray that you don't have to have surgery on your ankle and being off of it will heal it. Be careful with NSAIDs now. They slow down bone healing. I had to come off of them again after my breaks.
Check out Amazon. They carry pills that help with tissue and bone healing. Maybe these can keep you from having surgery. I took them for about 2 months. Who knows if the pills helped or not since there was nothing to compare it to, but I think trying is a plus!