Need a caffeine jolt

I gave up pop before surgery but now that I am back to work I really need a caffeine jolt.  I don't like coffee, is diet pop really, really bad?  Any suggestions?

If you really want one, have one.  Take it slow.  Pour over Ice if you can.  That gets rid of a lot of the fizz.

Or pour it into a glass, and let it sit for a while till it goes a little flat.  Pop, diet or otherwise, isn't the bad part.  It's the carbination that will bloat you up.  And if you haven't learned to burp and fart on command, that gas gets trapped inside you and starts going through your system - pure agony! 

I've had gas where I thought for sure I was having a heart attack, then a punctured lung (I literally could not take a deep breathe), then a ruptured appendix (even though I don't have an appendix any more) - all in one day.  The gas just worked it's way through my intestines.  Crazy pain.

So sip it, and let the fizz go out of it first.

After a while, will we get to a place where the carbonation doesn't bother our stomach?  I'm missing diet sodas as well.

I didn't have pop for the first 6 mths but then slowly started to sip it here and there and soon was a pro again! lol. I drink reg Coke regularly. I am 3 years out. 

I stayed off soda for a year post-op. I added it back in and it hurt so bad at first. The bubbles were killer. I only drank fountain soda because it was always flatter. 

Eventually I stopped because I realized I had more issues with heart burn if I continued drinking soda than when I stopped. For me, having soda wasn't worth needing more antacids. 

I like Celestial Seasonings Zinger teas. They are fruit flavored, no caffeine, no sweeteners, and just taste good to me. I do hot or cold. I also do regular tea as well.

5 Hour energy help me.

Two things that I do.  I train REALLY hard at the gym every single day and sometimes after work need a caffeine boost.  I also do not drink coffee.  A pre-workout like C4 or Amino Energy is great because it gives the caffeine boost without the jitters or the skin tingles that most pre-workouts provide.

OR... and this probably isn't the healthiest but I'll take a Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite which has a lot of caffeine in ONE pill.  It gives me the boost without the jitters or having to drink the pre-workout.

I haven't drank any diet pop since early 2002 and don't miss it.  Better to not drink it.  If you want a caffeine jolt, then take something like No-Doz.

I get my caffeine fix from iced tea, sweetened with Splenda. I'm nearly ten years out, and carbonation still sometimes makes me uncomfortable.