I would suggest that you post the findings from your MRI to get more specific advice. However, unless they told you that you need to have the surgery TODAY, which it doesn't sound like, you should learn about all of your options and get a few more opinions before you consent to surgery, especially since one surgeon is not recommending surgery at this point. You should also research as much as you can about your potential surgeon.
There are a number of surgical options: fusion, ADR, minimally invasive surgery, laminoplasty, etc. Which one is best for you depends on exactly what is wrong. ADR surgery for the cervical is rather new in the U.S. and thus you need to be very careful in choosing a surgeon.
Many of us have gone years without surgery, especially those without pain or significant other symptoms. Whether or not that is the right thing to do depends on exactly what is wrong. Your MRI may show simple bulges without spinal cord involvement or it may show major spinal cord involvement--the findings determine how urgent surgery is or what kinds of surgery are warranted.
As to whether you will eventually need surgery...some people recover enough to never have surgery....some people do not recover and go on to have successful surgery....some people do not recover and go on to have unsuccessful surgery. And a lot depends on what is wrong: bulges, herniations, osteophytes, etc.
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