‘Modern Family' star Julie Bowen thought she was ‘gonna die' after learning she needed a pacemaker at age 29
The "Modern Family" alum made the revelation to host Michael Rosenbaum during a recent appearance on his podcast, "Inside of You."
The 55-year-old shared that she struggles with sick sinus syndrome, a heart rhythm disorder that, according to Mayo Clinic, causes "slow heartbeats, pauses or irregular heartbeats."
"I have a low resting heart rate," the actress said on the podcast, noting her pacemaker is "set so that it can't go below 45." Bowen told Rosenbaum that, before receiving a pacemaker, her resting heart rate was in the 30s.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the average heart rate for adult women is 78 to 82 beats per minute. The "normal" range is between 60 to 100 beats per minute, it noted. According to the outlet, multiple factors, such as hormones, exercise and other lifestyle choices can affect your heart rate.
"I was a runner all throughout high school," Bowen explained. "And then I was really a competitive runner. And I always had a really low heart rate. And my sister was in med school. So, I guess I had just gotten out of college maybe. … At that time in her life, I guess she always carried around a stethoscope.
"We were on vacation, and she was like, 'I want to listen to this,'" Bowen recalled. "And she listened to my heart, and she was like, 'That is not what they've been telling you. And it's not runner's heart or whatever. … You need to go to a cardiologist immediately.'"
Bowen's sister, Annie Luetkemeyer, had just graduated from medical school. She refused to give up on the issue. Still, Bowen would insist to her concerned sibling that "I'm fine."
A month later, Bowen shot the pilot episode of the TV series "Ed," which premiered in 2000.
"I shot the pilot of 'Ed' and immediately had to go get a pacemaker afterwards," said Bowen. "I was like, 'Oh my God. My life is over. This is so weird. I'm gonna die.' I don't know what I thought it was because I was 29."
"You're lucky you didn't die before that," said Rosenbaum.
"They said I wouldn't probably die of it, but I'd start passing out," she explained. "There was a vague feeling … whenever I was relaxed, really relaxed, I'd be, like, watching TV or [a] movie. It felt like I'd been holding my breath for a while, that feeling of, like, lightheadedness.
"And they said, 'You're gonna be driving a car, and you're gonna pass out, and you're gonna kill somebody.' And I was like, 'Oh, well, then give me the g-----n pacemaker.'"
According to Bowen, surgeons went in through her armpit. Over the years, she has had to replace the batteries about three times.
"I forget about it all the time," Bowen said of having a pacemaker.
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