what is a medical condition that makes you weaker and weaker (that affects teens)

Question

I'm writing a story and one of the characters have a medical condition,

they are 16/17 they're gonna die soon
there's no cure, just treatment
they can still attend school and walk around without assistance or a wheelchair (but cant join p.e)
I found a picture and if you know what is the equipment called

It looks like you're asking for us to identify a piece of real world medical equipment. That's not a question about building a fictional world. — sphennings, Oct 14 '21 at 17:00
@sphennings I read it as asking us to suggest disorders with the above-mentioned list of conditions that might require a device like the one pictured. — Zeiss Ikon, Oct 14 '21 at 18:02
Might I refer you to this brilliant answer (OK, OK it's mine ... disclaimer) to a previous question. It doesn't involve equipment such as you show however. — Escaped dental patient., Oct 14 '21 at 18:10
@sphennings ye my bad its my first time using this website im a little confused on wut type of questions are suitibale :) — Mellow Jellow, Oct 29 '21 at 21:33

score 9 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 14 '21 at 16:08

9

The item in your linked image appears to be a wearable defibrillator; it would be used if the character has a heart disorder such as atrial fibrillation (which causes strokes) or other arrhythmias that aren't amenable to an implanted pacemaker. Such a device can also have a pacemaker function, and there are implantable defibrillators as well.

The problem is, with such a defibrillator, A-fib (as it's commonly called) isn't significantly disabling; even a simple pacemaker will adjust to heart rate increases and decreases with activity levels.

answered Oct 14 '21 at 16:08

Zeiss Ikon

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A wearable defibrillator circa 1985 – Willk Oct 15 '21 at 02:41
It would still be a reasonable excuse to not join PE, and if accompanied by other illnesses could explain it – Hobbamok Oct 15 '21 at 08:19
@Willk Hence one that common readers of a manga or viewers of an anime might recognize. – Zeiss Ikon Oct 15 '21 at 10:59

Nosajimiki · Answer 2 · 2021-10-14T17:06:23.260

Muscular Dystrophy

If you want to focus on the weaker and weaker aspect of the question, Muscular Dystrophy is a good option.

Some forms of Muscular Dystrophy begin during childhood and progress in severity as you get older. Apart from making you physically weaker over time, it can affect heart and lung function causing some patients to need a wearable defibrillator as shown. People with Muscular Dystrophy typically die younger than normal people due to heart attacks or respiratory complications. No form of Muscular Dystrophy can be cured but there are treatment options for extending quality of life. Muscular Dystrophy varies widely in how quickly it progresses. While some people live for decades with it some people can go from fine to dead in just a few years.

Type I Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy is probably your best bet for someone who needs a wearable defibrillator, but can still walk. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is most likely to kill someone in their late teens, but since onset is normally much younger, by the time they get to that age, your character would probably be wheelchair bound. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy treatment has also gotten much better in recent years extending average life expectance into 30s-40s so it might not work if your character has access to first-world medicine. If he is poor or in an under-developed country, or if you setting is at all in the past, this would not be a problem for you though.

You should also consider if your character needs to be smart since child onset Muscular Dystrophy is almost always accompanied by learning disorders.

Unfortunately muscular dystrophy or something like MS will put people unto a wheelchair, unless I'm not aware of rare cases that can still walk before their heart and respiratory systems fail. — Trioxidane, Oct 14 '21 at 20:38
@Trioxidane That is why I suggested Type I Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy. It progresses to affect heart and lungs more rapidly than other variations. That said, how you read the question for emphasis matters: If you want deterioration and uncurbable, but care less about walking, MD is a good way to go. Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a better answer if you care more about walking, but an otherwise health 16-17yr patient is likely to qualify for a heart transplant which could cure it. Cancer can also usually cured in younger patients because they heal from surgery/chemo/radiation better. — Nosajimiki, Oct 14 '21 at 21:22

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 14 '21 at 17:13

Cancer

Although Zeiss is correct that it looks like a defibrillator, you can get similar weird looking machines taped to you.

Cancer can come in a thousand different forms with even more kinds of treatments. The progress can be A-typical, meaning the afflicted person can still move about in many stages of the disease. Death can be certain, so machines attached can only be there to slow down the disease and/or provide comfort (reducing pain and the like).

Although most of the time there will be hair loss and the like, not all treatments affect these traits. Especially if the machines only drip chemicals to make the last months/weeks/days comfortable.

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 14 '21 at 18:15

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy is said to affect 1/250 individuals to some degree. An implantable defibrillator may be used as a treatment in some, reflecting a risk of sudden death. While the condition usually sets in in one's forties, an early-onset variant is known. Note also that the mutation in titin - a protein molecule so long you can see the striations it corresponds to under a light microscope - weakens the skeletal muscles as well as the heart.

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 15 '21 at 04:00

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Myasthenia Gravis

This disease, causes muscle weakness and its symptoms can include a life-threatening myasthenic crisis affecting the muscles that help the patient breathe.

It most often affects older people, but can strike at any age.

answered Oct 15 '21 at 04:00

Davislor

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score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Oct 15 '21 at 02:25

Cardiac Stress
Cardiac stress presents itself as a major cardiac arrhytmia when you're adult mostly but in youths it can develop from very tiny cardiac muscle dysthrophies that build up distress symptoms or even unknown medical conditions as the story develops very slowly, it's a good starting point for writing whole stories about how a disease is forming

what is a medical condition that makes you weaker and weaker (that affects teens)

6 Answers6

Muscular Dystrophy

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Myasthenia Gravis