An 80-year-old Leicestershire man lost both legs after a four-year delay in diagnosing peripheral arterial disease, despite attending 29 medical appointments and undergoing repeated scans and tests.
Nic Olsen, from Tugby, first saw his GP in 2020 after developing pain in his feet and legs. His symptoms were initially thought to be connected to long-standing back problems, prompting a referral to an orthopaedic specialist.
Over the following years, he saw consultants, specialists and GPs, while his pain became increasingly severe. He was advised to walk more, use insoles and take cholesterol tablets, but a blockage in the arteries of his lower legs was not identified.
Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, occurs when fatty deposits build up in artery walls and restrict blood flow. The condition can be diagnosed using a Doppler test, which uses ultrasound to measure circulation.
Mr Olsen’s symptoms included painful and swollen feet and hair loss on his lower legs. His wife Fiona said he also experienced pain while resting and described it as feeling as though someone was “stabbing him with a carving knife”.
During a holiday in Tenerife in January 2024, one of his toenails burst open and began bleeding. It was another nine months before a podiatrist asked whether he had undergone a Doppler test.
Mrs Olsen said: “She did the Doppler finally and there were no sounds of circulation. We knew then that it was bad.”
Mr Olsen was referred to a vascular hospital, where a consultant diagnosed chronic PAD. However, he was reportedly advised to walk 10,000 steps a day and was prescribed cholesterol medication.
In January 2025, he collapsed because of the pain and could no longer walk. After three further hospital visits, another consultant examined his ultrasound scan and raised the alarm about the seriousness of his condition.
An angioplasty, intended to reopen the blocked arteries, was unsuccessful. Mr Olsen then underwent a 13-hour arterial bypass operation, but that too failed to restore sufficient circulation.
His right leg was amputated below the knee in April 2025. Within two weeks of returning home, ulcers developed on his other foot and his second leg was amputated in July.
Mrs Olsen, now her husband’s full-time carer, said: “They tried everything, but we were left with no option but amputation.”
She estimated that Mr Olsen’s care had cost the NHS more than £1 million, compared with about £1,000 for an angioplasty had the condition been identified at an earlier stage.
“He had 29 different appointments before he got a diagnosis, it’s disgraceful,” she said. “Lessons have to be learnt.”
Recovery after the delayed PAD diagnosis
Mr Olsen underwent months of rehabilitation and learnt to walk again using prosthetic legs. In June 2026, he was able to walk his daughter Emma, 30, down the aisle at her wedding.
He said the period after his amputations was particularly difficult. “After amputation, it’s two or three weeks after you get home is when reality hits, and you reach your darkest mental state,” he said.
“I slipped through the net. But early diagnosis saves lives, and it’s totally preventable if it’s diagnosed early enough.”
Mrs Olsen said her husband still experienced phantom limb pain and had “dark thoughts”, but praised his strength and stamina during his recovery.
She is now campaigning to raise awareness of PAD symptoms, including pain in the legs and feet while resting, swollen toes and hair loss on the lower legs.
“The whole thing was shambolic,” she said. “The only way I can let my anger out is to help people in the future.”
