SO OCD Question

hi! how did you guys get your ocd diagnosis? what was that process like? did it take a while? do some of you not have a diagnosis but just know you have ocd?

i suffer from severe contamination ocd and I'm starting to think i will never be "normal" again I have already done 20 sessions of ERP I've also tried 6 different medications so far The medication and ERP have so far reduced my OCD by 25-35% but i remain very limited and far from "normal". have any of you who also suffered from severe contamination/disgust OCD managed to recover fully and have a normal life? is it even possible for someone like me to ever have a normal life again after 7+ years of severe contamination OCD?

Wondering how long ya'll have had Real Event OCD, since I think this is probably one of the worst types you can have (I'm biased). 1. How long? 2. Have you gone to ERP? 3. What has it done to you and your life? 4. What's helped? for me -- 1. I've had it and tolerated it with no professional therapy for like 7 years (ugghhhh) 2. Have not been to ERP but I'm trying to do more research 3. I feel like it's ruined my brain, my peace of mind, my happiness, negatively affected working, being present, wasted so much time ruminating, less social, etc. So many terrible ripple effects. I feel like it's destroyed my brain health. So many headaches, migraines, feeling "off" all the time, less focus, less everything relative to where I was before. I feel like I'm in Purgatory, stuck in the same loop that never ends, perpetually fkd. It's a daily struggle. 4. I guess learning more about OCD, "delaying" compulsions (but that gets OCD'd too), this site has helped, How about you?