Hi, Thirty six years ago I dislocated and broke my ankle in 5 places. Also fractured my fibula (at 27 weeks pregnant).
I too, had my hardware out a year later as another person commented.
I’ve felt good for all those years except when I was stressing my ankle doing martial arts.
The 3 screws made my ankle stiff and unflexible. Having the screws removed changed everything. Felt like my original ankle. Best to you.