Welcome, Pete. I'll be 60 this year so am knocking on the door to "geezerhood". (I'm not sure a woman can be a geezer, so maybe I'll be an "old bat" instead.) I was dx'd in April 2011, and my case sounds similar to yours, starting with a persistent double ear infection in Oct. 2008. I was not as physically active as you, but that doesn't seem to make a difference; Wegs can strike anyone. I haven't been declared in remission but feel I'm close. I'm still on CTX but it's being tapered instead of moving me to a milder drug, and that seems to be working OK at this point. I'm on 10mg. prednisone and Bactrim DS 3x/wk. My original ANCA reading was very low. My dx was by nasal biopsy. No kidney involvement or bladder problems so far. Everyone's case is a little different. If you have to have Wegs, I'm glad you found us, and hope you continue to post on a regular basis. This forum became a big part of my daily life even a month or two before I started posting. I hope your latest flare up continues to be quelled, and that the blood in urine and any bladder problems or possible kidney involvement are dealt with before they become very serious.