Though it didn’t work out well for Megamind, “spee-i-ders” still have the ability to scare the masses. And while most spiders are harmless, and even helpful, to humans, a few still really, really scare us.

The brown recluse spider is one of those, and with good reason. Googling “brown recluse bite” will result in images that can make even the strongest stomach curl. The damage this one arachnid can do is legendary, and Tom Green of Provo is one of the unfortunate few who has the battle scars from his own tangle with one.

About 18 months ago, Green was on a trip and stayed one night in a hotel in Missouri. That night he was bitten by a recluse on the side of his right heel.

“The next morning I noticed my skin was flaking off at the bite site, and I peeled it back, and saw just fatty tissue and no skin,” Green said.

At the time Green was sure it was a recluse that bit him, but he didn’t know a lot about them, so he simply cleaned the wound, treated it at home, and after a while it closed up and appeared to heal. It was painful, akin to the feeling of having smashed his foot with something heavy, but because Green has some severe back issues, he said he’s used to aches and pains everywhere.

Only a few months later, though, an infection “blew out the bottom” of his ball of his foot. This time he went to the emergency room and was in surgery by the next day. Doctors removed a sizable chunk of skin and tissue from the bottom of his foot. More surgery followed a week later and more tissue was removed. After spending two months in a rehabilitation center, his foot healed fully and he hoped everything was fine.

Four months later, his foot was infected, this time at the big toe. Because of the progressive nature of the infections, Green’s doctor wanted to amputate the entire foot.

“After an hour and a half of arguing, I got him to agree to just go into the foot and remove what he had to remove. Then let me wake up and we’d talk about it more,” Green said.

The doctor amputated his big toe, and again, Green spent time rehabilitating, and thought his ordeal was over. But about a month and half ago, the rest of his toes swelled up with another major infection, going from looking completely healthy to raging infection in just two days’ time.

Again, Green’s doctor wanted to amputate the entire foot, but Green begged him not to. Today Green is recovering, but missing all his toes. The end of his foot is an open wound because there was not enough healthy skin to close the wound, and will require a skin graft in a few months.

“I feel like we’re at the end of it. I hope we are. Of course, if not, next time the doc might get his wish,” Green said with a laugh.

All of this from one little bite. But the story is not all gross and gory.

Green is a single father of three sons, one of whom is 13 and still living with him. During previous hospital and rehab stays, Green had to send his son Ethan Green to stay with relatives, but this time that option wasn’t available. He needed to stay in rehab for about 20 days, but Ethan had no place to go.

Mel Wallis, director of marketing at Orem Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center, visited the Greens in the hospital prior to moving Tom to Orem Rehab, and noticed the cot and belongings set up for Ethan there.

“Mel said Tom’s son needed a place to stay, and it’s not always these rehab buildings can accommodate that, but we’re lucky to have a few suites here. This is normally a situation that comes up with older couples who have never spent a night away from each other. But the whole team was on board with this,” said Josh Albrechtsen, executive director of Orem Rehab. “At the end of the day, we want to be a good neighbor.”

Not only did Ethan get a bed to sleep in, but he was able to also have all his meals there, free of charge, and take showers to get ready for school. Every weekday morning, Ethan would wake up, eat with dad, get ready for school, and then bike down the street to the Greens’ apartment. He’d feed the family pets and catch the bus to Centennial Middle School, then return to his father in the afternoon. For almost three weeks, the center became their home.

“I definitely feel like it’s helped my healing. It’s been a lot less stressful having him here with me,” Green said.

“All the staff has been impressed with how quickly Tom has progressed. He wants to be home. He has such has such a good attitude, and he’s been so willing to work through the pain. It’s facilitated his healing,” Albrechtsen said.

Though the arrangement is unique, it turned out to be a good thing for Orem Rehab as well.

“The staff really enjoyed having them both. It’s so different to have a teen around. We get family members that visit, but the average age of those staying here is much higher. The staff really became attached to Ethan,” Albrechtsen said.

As for Green, though he and Ethan enjoyed their stay, they were very glad to head home Wednesday evening. They both really, really hope Green has seen the last of hospitals for a long time.

Green’s advice for anyone that thinks they’ve been bitten by a brown recluse?

“Go to the hospital right away! Don’t think you can heal it on your own,” he said. “Also, I do check hotel rooms a lot more cautiously now.”

The brown recluse isn’t native to Utah, but found in a region bordered by Nebraska to Ohio down through Texas to Florida. In Utah, hobo spiders are often mistaken for the recluse, but the jury is still out on how venomous their bite is.

A bite from a brown recluse causes a unique pattern of discoloration, according to healthline.com. “The site of the bite may turn a deep purple or blue color and be surrounded by a whitish ring and a larger red area. There may also be a dark blister or ulcer by the bite. In some cases, the ulcer caused by the bite can persist and grow for weeks.”

Because the recluse’s venom can cause tissue damage, a person who thinks he/she has been bitten by one should capture the spider if possible, and bring it with him/her to the emergency room.

Even with treatment, a recluse bite site can take up to eight weeks to heal, according to webmd.com, and should be monitored for infection.