Indeed.
I've had symptoms for 29 years and, touch wood, have been VERY stable for the last ten. I think retirement has been beneficial.
I think an MRI in 1990 would have shown much activity but I was effectively lost to follow-up after losing the will to live after excessive telephone waits. Being in the trade was a disadvantage when the neurologist told me to phone the secretary in in a few months if I still had symptoms; a formal appointment in which doctor, patient and notes convened might have led to different management.
It's moot if I might have been better served by earlier diagnosis.
Yes, I have met several folk with MS whose progression has slowed considerably when they gave up work. I know some who were advised to give up work fairly early, to preserve their capacity for longer. This of course doesn't work if you're at the mercy of the Department for Work and Pensions who assess people's capability to work on things like if you can push a button once... No concept of fatigue, mental capacity, etc etc.
I am sure there's a balance of when to stop/reduce working and when not and it'll depend on each person, their job, how stressful they find it, the MS and a massive random 8 ball of "luck".
I'm delighted your MS has stayed pretty stable, it's definitely easier to manage stable impairments, progressive/deteriorative ones are hard work.
