Question for those of you who say you’d never do this surger

Question for those of you who say you’d never do this surgery again because recovery was much harder than expected… What was the alternative for you? I’m struggling with the “pay now or pay later” thought process. I have hypermobility, a partially torn plantar plate, and I’m almost 60. Part of me worries that waiting another 10–20 years could mean things progress further and recovery becomes even harder later in life.