Chin up, Eric...everyone is different, as you have read...
I got dxd when I was53 after several years of trying to find out why my toes were numb, then why I was walking weird, double vision, vertigo, different things at different times. When legs locked, voila MS dx...

I have never really had what others call an exacerbation...just things popping up more and more and then becoming permanent. My right foot drags a bit, and I have a lot of painful spasticity.

So just keep on moving...if you can't jog, walk. If it's difficult to walk, swim. Don't give up. Keep active...it's what keeps us going.