Born April 11, 1929, in Dover, NC, John Melvin Humphrey relocated to Raleigh, NC on February 25, 1948 to pursue a career in health care at what is now known as Dorothea Dix Hospital. He rose through the ranks and retired as the Director of Occupational Health 30 years later.

Melvin met his wife, Louise, in 1950. They married and lived on the hospital grounds for several years. A hobby craftsman with a knack for building, in 1958 Melvin moved his family off of the hospital grounds and built their first family home where they raised their five children and kept a bountiful vegetable garden from which Louise made a variety of nutritious meals. Then, in 1998, Melvin subcontracted on their dream home, which is situated on four and a quarter acres of land. They’ve enjoyed living on the property to this day.

Affectionately dubbed “the lady in charge,” Melvin says Louise has made it her mission to keep him healthy over the years.

“I’ve never smoked. I’ve only had about 12 beers in all my years of living. And, my wife is one of the best cooks who ever walked the earth. She makes good food that doesn’t use a lot of unhealthy fats, and she has taken care of me for 72 years of marriage.”

An Unexpected Pain

That’s partly why on March 4, 2021, when 92-year-old Melvin Humphrey went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain and unable to urinate, they were alarmed. The pain was so unbearable that he could not tolerate a car ride to the emergency department, so his family called 911, and an ambulance transported him to the WakeMed North Hospital Emergency Department. He was checked in at 11 p.m. and did not leave until 6 a.m. the next morning. Since the pain was a result of his inability to urinate, the care team installed a catheter to drain his urine whenever he needed to relieve his kidneys. He went home hopeful that the catheter would eliminate any future pain.

Melvin says, “I had a catheter from the time I left the emergency department and continued with the catheter with a bag strapped to my leg for months.”

Unfortunately, the pain returned. This time, he went to the WakeMed Brier Creek Healthplex Emergency Room. They diagnosed him with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, and referred him to WakeMed Urology.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

As men age, enlargement of the prostate gland is very common. In fact, approximately 50 percent of men in their 50s will have BPH. Other risk factors include family history, diabetes and/or heart disease, the use of beta blockers and obesity.

BPH generally causes symptoms such as blocking the flow of urine out of the bladder, which can lead to increased frequency of urination (particularly at night), weak stream or a stream that stops and starts, dribbling at the end of urination, or an inability to completely empty the bladder. Generally, the severity of symptoms will get worse over time without proper treatment.

The Rezum Heated Steam Treatment

Upon visiting urologist Matthew Lyons, MD, FACS at WakeMed Urology — Raleigh Medical Park, Melvin learned that he was not a candidate for surgery for BPH because his advanced age increased the chances that he would not survive the anesthesia. That in mind, he was offered the Rezum procedure.

Rezum heated steam treatment is a minimally-invasive option that uses steam vapor to target and kill the affected prostate tissue. In all, the procedure takes less than five minutes. There are no reported sexual side-effects and the treatment doesn’t impact the urinary sphincter — which means there is minimal risk of incontinence.

October 14, 2021, Melvin had the Rezum procedure.

“It was only five to seven minutes and well worth it to be out of pain and done with a catheter,” says Melvin.

While undergoing the procedure, Melvin kept in mind that Dr. Lyons had informed him that he may need to repeat the procedure and that it may ultimately prove ineffective for his condition.

His family called on friends and prayer warriors to get them through the process. Thankfully, the Rezum was a success, and Melvin was able to stop using his catheter all together.

“Getting rid of the catheter was a good day.”

Melvin’s Quality of Life Returns

Today, Melvin feels great. He has follow-up appointments every six months.

He’s once again enjoying his custom home, hobby woodworking and one of life’s simple pleasures: morning coffee.

“I was asked to stop drinking caffeine when I had BPH symptoms. Now, I’m well enough to have an occasional cup of coffee.”

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