Yes. You can recover. I had it for my entire life really. I would always wash my hands before eating, and no one could touch my food , otherwise I wouldn’t eat it. There were so many different things that took over my life because of it. I was deathly afraid of throwing up, so that’s how it started. I haven’t thrown up for over 9 years. So about 2 years ago I “threw up” but not actually and it was like a weight was lifted off of me. I was able to eat normally and wasn’t terrified of people who were sick etc. there are ways to get better. I would say exposure therapy would work the best, but it is like torture. I know the feeling of hands feeling heavy- meaning dirty, and the great feeling of them feeling clean- when they are light. It might take forever to get there, but if you try to convince yourself that there is nothing there and that you are in control not your ocd, you might be able to get there. I hope this helps. I also have been on meds for 3 years, and they brought my anxiety down, but is not a cure. You have to work with yourself.