An 80-year-old British man has had both of his legs amputated after doctors failed to correctly diagnose his severe pain for four years.
Nick Olsen began experiencing pain in his legs and feet in 2020, but medical professionals believed his symptoms were the result of spinal problems.
Over the following four years, Olsen attended 29 appointments with different specialists and underwent numerous medical examinations without receiving a correct diagnosis.
His wife, Fiona, told the Mirror newspaper that her husband described the pain as feeling like someone was piercing him with a carving knife.
The Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper that frequently reports on medical misdiagnoses and health campaigns.
Holiday emergency
The situation escalated in January 2024 while the couple were on holiday in Tenerife.
Tenerife is the largest of Spain's Canary Islands, located off the coast of West Africa, and is a highly popular destination for British tourists seeking winter sunshine.
During the trip, Olsen's big toenail burst, which led to severe bleeding.
Following this incident, medical staff finally diagnosed Olsen with peripheral arterial disease.
Peripheral arterial disease is a common condition where a build up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts the blood supply to the muscles.
The condition typically affects the legs and can cause aching pain when walking. If the disease progresses and is left untreated, it can severely restrict blood flow and lead to the tissue dying, which significantly increases the risk of requiring an amputation.
Surgical interventions
Medical teams attempted to restore the blood flow to Olsen's legs using an angioplasty.
An angioplasty is a medical procedure designed to stretch open a narrowed or blocked artery, often using a small balloon.
Olsen also underwent two bypass surgeries. A bypass procedure involves a surgeon creating a new pathway for blood to flow around a blocked vessel, often using a healthy blood vessel taken from another part of the body.
However, these attempts to save his limbs were unsuccessful.
In April 2025, surgeons amputated his right leg below the knee. Three months later, in July, he had his left leg amputated.
Fiona stated that if doctors had provided a timely diagnosis, it would have helped to restore the blood circulation in his legs and prevented these severe complications.
Walking on prosthetics
Following the two surgeries, Olsen entered a period of physical rehabilitation.
Patients who undergo leg amputations typically work with physiotherapists to rebuild their strength and learn how to balance and move again.
During this recovery period, Olsen was fitted with prosthetic limbs and successfully learned to walk on them.
In June 2026, he was able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.
