By Alexandra Bellusci
The Modern Family star, 55, told Michael Rosenbaum on Tuesday鈥檚 episode of his Inside of You podcast that she has sick sinus syndrome, a type of rhythm disorder that affects the heart鈥檚 natural pacemaker, per the Mayo Clinic.
Bowen鈥檚 condition is called hypervagotonia, which is increased activity in the vagus nerve, according to the National Institute of Health.
鈥淚 have a low resting heart rate,鈥 she explained, noting that her pacemaker is 鈥渟et so that it can鈥檛 go below 45.鈥
Before the pacemaker, Bowen鈥檚 resting heart rate was in the 30s, when the 鈥渘ormal鈥 resting heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute for women.
The Hysteria! star鈥檚 sister diagnosed her condition while the two were on a getaway.
Bowen shared that her sibling, Annie Luetkemeyer, had just graduated from medical school and 鈥渨as at that time in her life when she, I guess, she always carried around a stethoscope. And we were on vacation, and she was like, 鈥業 wanna listen to this.鈥欌
鈥淪he was like, 鈥楾hat is not what they鈥檝e been telling you, and it鈥檚 not runner鈥檚 heart or whatever. That means you need to go to a cardiologist,鈥欌 the Happy Gilmore star remembered.
鈥淚 was like, 鈥業鈥檓 fine,鈥欌 the actress shared, adding that her sister 鈥渨ould not let it go.鈥
A month later, Bowen shot the pilot for the NBC series Ed alongside Tom Cavanagh. The comedy/drama ran from 2000 to 2004.
鈥淚 shot the pilot of Ed and immediately had to go get a pacemaker afterwards,鈥 Bowen said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥極h my God. My life is over. This is so weird. I鈥檓 gonna die.鈥 I don鈥檛 know what I thought it was, because I was 29.鈥
鈥淵ou鈥檙e lucky you didn鈥檛 die before that,鈥 Rosenbaum, 52, responded.
鈥淭hey said I wouldn鈥檛 probably die of it, but I鈥檇 start passing out,鈥 Bowen clarified. 鈥淭here was a vague feeling 鈥 whenever I was relaxed, really relaxed, I鈥檇 be, like, watching TV or movie.鈥
The Hubie Halloween star described it felt like she鈥檇 鈥渂een holding my breath for a while, that feeling of, like, light-headedness. And they said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e gonna be driving a car, and you鈥檙e gonna pass out, and you鈥檙e gonna kill somebody.鈥 And I was like, 鈥極h, well, then give me the Goddamn pacemaker.鈥欌
Bowen has had the batteries replaced three times; however, she admitted, 鈥淚 forget about it all the time.鈥
These days, the Boston Legal star hasn鈥檛 let her condition slow her down one bit. In fact, she鈥檚 starring in the upcoming sequel to the beloved 1996 sports comedy Happy Gilmore.
Bowen is reprising her role as Virginia Venit, the love interest of Adam Sandler鈥檚 Happy Gilmore, but didn鈥檛 know if she鈥檇 be asked back for round two.
鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃ell I won鈥檛 be in it,鈥欌 Bowen told The Hollywood Reporter in June.
鈥淎nd that was OK 鈥 it was like Virginia Venit, it鈥檚 been 30 years, he鈥檚 got a hottie. He鈥檚 got some little bitty on the side, like a cart girl,鈥 she continued. 鈥淎s a matter of fact my children told me, before I was even told officially that there was a Happy Gilmore sequel, my now 18-year-old said, 鈥楳um, I hear they鈥檙e doing a sequel and he鈥檚 with Sydney Sweeney as a cart girl.鈥欌
Bowen teased, 鈥淚 went, I鈥檓 hurt and I so respect that move. Of course, why wouldn鈥檛 you? So when I got the call that I was actually in it, I was like, 鈥楢re you sure? Come on.鈥欌
Although Sweeney, 27, isn鈥檛 in the film, the sequel is set to have a slew of new faces, including Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce, Kym Whitley and Eminem.
鈥淪eeing Bad Bunny on set I was just like, 鈥極h, I can鈥檛 actually look you in the eye, I鈥檓 going to have to walk away,鈥 and I did,鈥 Bowen recalled.
鈥淚 think he was offended and I had to circle back and now I made it worse. I鈥檓 the kind of person who doesn鈥檛 want to meet her heroes because I think I鈥檓 just going to be a jackass.鈥
This article originally appeared in New York Post and was reproduced with permission