Sawbones release Mitchell from Hospital
Doctor’s orders cancel game at
Gathering of the Tribes this weekend
June 26, 2007 -- Houston, Texas

Gutshot co-creator Mike Mitchell was hospitalized last Wednesday for cellulitis, a potentially life-threatening infection in his lower right leg.

"I had felt a bit ill on Tuesday night," Mitchell said. "In fact, I came home, went straight to bed and had alternating chills and fever all night long until about 3 a.m. when I thought the fever broke. The next day I was tired, but felt okay."

However, it turns out Mitchell was not okay.  At lunch time he reached down to scratch his leg and felt the burning heat through his pants leg. He pulled up the fabric and saw a large red splotch a few inches above his ankle.  Mitchell's wife quickly arrived and drove him to his doctor where it was diagnosed as cellulitis and was prescribed oral antibiotics. 

But by then it was already too late.

"By 5:30 that evening, the splotch had increased in size more than five times and was raging with fever. We made the decision to get to the hospital that night, rather than risk waiting to see if the oral antibiotics would work."

That turned out to be a good call: Mitchell was admitted that night and would stay in the hospital, on bed rest and intravenous antibiotics until Monday evening, when he was released.

"I'm still not perfectly well," Mitchell said. "I'm still on powerful oral antibiotics and have been ordered to stay off my feet as much as possible during the next 10 days until it clears up completely."

Following doctor's orders, Mitchell is canceling his participation in this weekend's Gathering of the Tribes at Little Wars game store in Houston, Texas.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm just not supposed to be on my feet that much, so I need to pull out."

This is the second time Mitchell has suffered from this illness: his first bout was in September 2005 after he scratched his leg while cleaning up debris during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. This time he admits that he has no idea how he contracted the dangerous illness.

Additionally, Mitchell said he will be forced to reschedule his summer playtests for Night of the Living Deadwood. They will be moved sometime to the fall and will be announced when he has a better idea of when they will be held.

Finally, Mitchell said that he wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and wishes for his speedy recovery.

"I announced my illness at The Miniatures Page (TMP) and was able to keep in touch with a few people there. Their kind words and thoughts helped me feel better during this trying time and I just want to say "thank you" to them – you guys really helped put me in a better mood during this ordeal and I really appreciate it."

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Gathering of the Tribes is an annual game day hosted by Little Wars game store, and it's been a Gutshot tradition for a few years now. This year it will be held Saturday, June 30, 2007 at the Little Wars store in NW Houston. For more information about the event, please visit their home page at www.littlewars.net.