Harborough district man had both legs amputated after doctors missed common condition

Tragically both of Nic Olsen's legs may have been saved had he been diagnosed earlier.

Nic, 80, had back problems for years, and in 2020 he began to experience foot and leg pain.

When he went to his GP he was referred to an orthopaedic specialist because it was believed that his leg and foot pain was linked to his back pain.

Over the next four years he would go on to have 29 appointments with GPs, consultants and specialists and have endless scans and tests, as the pain grew more intense.

Each time he was sent away - told to walk more, prescribed cholesterol tablets, given spinal injections and told to put insoles in his shoes.

The semi-retired financial advisor, from Tugby, even collapsed and saw his big toes "burst open" - before someone finally spotted a blockage in his arteries in his lower legs, and diagnosed him with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

The condition is characterised by arteries narrowing due to the build-up of fatty deposits in the walls, and can lead to blockages.

But by the time it was spotted, the condition was so advanced that treatments were unlikely to be successful.

Despite undergoing an angioplasty followed by a bypass surgery - twice - in a bid to reopen his arteries in his legs, it was too late for Nic, who ended up needing a double amputation of both lower legs.

His condition could have been diagnosed and treated quickly if he had been given a Doppler test at his first GP appointment to test his circulation in his legs - or someone had even just checked his pulse in his foot.

Nic's wife Fiona Olsen, 68, said: "All Nic ever talked about was the pain.

"He would say it was like someone was stabbing him with a carving knife.

"He had all kinds of examinations and saw all kinds of doctors, surgeons and specialists.

"Finally, after four years, someone looked at his ultrasound and said 'Oh my God, this is serious'.

"They tried everything but we were left with no option but amputation.

"Nic's care from start to finish has cost the NHS over £1million - if this condition had been found at the start, it could have been a fraction of that.

"He could have had an angioplasty there and then, when it was still early, which costs the NHS about £1,000 - and would have saved his legs.

"He had 29 different appointments before he got a diagnosis, it's disgraceful. Lessons have to be learnt."

Nic went to his GP in 2020 with pain, swollen feet and no hair on his lower legs - which are all recognised signs of PAD.

PAD affects one in five people over the age of 60.

Nic wasn't given a Doppler test for years, which would have quickly identified a circulation problem in his legs, Fiona said.

Instead, he had a spectrum of tests including MRI scans, X-rays and blood tests over the next four years.

Mum-of-one Fiona, a retired travel and tourism teacher, said: "A Doppler is a simple test - you'd be able to hear from that if there is a circulatory problem. But nobody did one for years."

Over the months Nic continued pursuing answers with no luck - and the pain got worse and he became less mobile.

Eventually, during a holiday to Tenerife in January 2024, one of his toenails burst open and was gushing blood.

But it wasn't until October, 2024, after yet another ultrasound, that a different podiatrist asked about whether he'd had a Doppler done.

Fiona, who is now Nic's full-time carer, said: "She did the Doppler finally and there were no sounds of circulation. We knew then that it was bad."

He was sent for an electrocardiogram (ECG) - a test to record the electrical activity of the heart.

He was also referred to a vascular hospital where a consultant revealed that he had chronic PAD.

But he was just told to walk 10,000 steps a day and prescribed cholesterol tablets, she said.

In January, 2025, Nick collapsed from the pain and was unable to walk.

After three further trips to the hospital, another new consultant looked at his ultrasound scan and raised the alarm.

Nic was sent for an angioplasty - a procedure to unblock arteries - but the procedure didn't work.

He then underwent an arterial bypass - a large and risky 13-hour surgery, but that didn't work either.

She said: "By this point the pain was phenomenal for Nic, so the next option was amputation."

He had his right leg - the worse of the two - amputated below the knee in April 2025.

Within two weeks of returning home from his amputation, his second foot became ulcerated and he needed a second amputation, in July 2025.

Nic, who also has two sons from a previous relationship, went through months of gruelling rehab using prosthetic legs to walk again.

Just in time, he was strong enough to walk daughter Emma Olsen, 30, down the aisle on her wedding day in June, 2026.

Nic said: "I don't think any of the people I spoke to knew what PAD was. All the symptoms were ignored.

"After amputation, it's two or three weeks after you get home is when reality hits, and you reach your darkest mental state.

"I slipped through the net. But early diagnosis saves lives, and it's total preventable if it's diagnosed early enough.

"I wouldn't be anywhere without Fiona there behind me."

Fiona is now campaigning to make more people aware of the symptoms of PAD which Nic had - including resting leg and foot pain pain, swollen toes and no hair on his lower legs.