But you're lucky, relatively speaking. If you were shot in the heart, your blood pressure would quickly drop, but it would take 10 to 15 seconds to lose brain function. In that time you could draw your gun, utter last words, or spend some time thinking about your unfortunate situation.
Caffeine can cause indigestion, which in turn may lead to heart palpitations. However, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) can also cause palpitations, and this condition is more of a concern. Seek medical attention if your palpitations last longer than two or three minutes.
Chronic indigestion is painful. It can erode the lining of the stomach and esophagus, make you dizzy, promote anxiety, and even lead to panic attacks, as described in Dealing With Anxiety Attacks. So eliminating indigestion has a major impact on quality of life. A severe attack of indigestion can also mimic the symptoms of a heart attack. The good news is that it can scare a person into straightening up their life. The bad news is that it leads to an avoidable, inconvenient trip to the hospital, expensive tests to rule out heart problems, and it's one hell of a scary thing. The intestinal gas that characterizes indigestion causes the bloated sensation. It can also make you dizzy.