Hi and welcome.

I have been lactose intolerant for many many years. I have not heard of a sore throat from eating or drinking lactose. That, to me, sounds like some kind of acid reflux. Is it a burning type of feeling in your throat? That sounds like spicy or acid foods..... in other words, heartburn.

For example, if you ate pasta with cheese on it. You might think it's the cheese hurting your throat. But, it's actually the pasta sauce that could give you that acid reflux/heartburn. So when we think it was the cheese on the pizza or spaghetti... it was actually the tomato sauce that bothered us. Yes, you have to do some detective work to figure out which thing is causing you distress.

I'll copy below the symptoms of lactose intolerance. Yes, keeping a food diary would help. Also, eliminating certain foods and seeing how you feel, is something you could start now, before your doctor's appointment. (See below, I copied off the Mayo Clinic website)

Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance usually begin from 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods that contain lactose.
Common signs and symptoms include:

Diarrhea
Nausea, and sometimes, vomiting
Stomach cramps
Bloating
Gas

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you frequently have symptoms of lactose intolerance after eating dairy foods, particularly if you're worried about getting enough calcium.

I have had a sore throat for years and when I stopped drinking regular or skim milk on advice from the ENT and went to lactose free milk I have been better, but not 100%.

That would not be called Lactose Intolerance though. As I posted above, lactose intolerance are digestive symptoms such as gas, diarrhea, bloating, etc. Not anything with the throat. You may have something else (heartburn, maybe), and I think it can be fixed with avoiding the foods that aggravate it.

Do you think you could stop drinking milk? I haven't drank any milk since I was 14 years old. Studies say that adults don't need to drink milk, but if you like drinking it, then you might have to put up with some sore throat symptoms.

Is it more of a burning in your throat??? Or a sore throat as in it hurts when you swallow, like when you have a cold?

My throat is a bit sore. If I eat more Lactose it gets worse. Have not really noticed any other areas in my body, that has been affected.

I did find this article that Lactose can cause a sore throat: https://pmj.bmj.com/content/81/953/167

I have not heard of this. And I have Lactose Intolerance, and so do most of my family members. I think what you are describing would be called something different.

Again, is it a burning feeling in your throat?
Or a hurts-when-I-swallow kind of hurt?
Which more accurately describes your throat pain?

Burning would probably be a heartburn. Have you tried taking Lactaid pills? Antacids (Tums, Rolaids)?

I have taken an antiacid and that works for a bit. It is the kind of sore throat that is hard to swallow and or a bubble forms.

The slight bubble that will not go. I do get reflux, in my mouse which causes a sore throat. The fewer lactose I consume the better.

Here is another article that talks about how acid reflux which I have can be a lactose intolerance: https://thefunctionalgutclinic.com/blog/news/food-intolerance-and-acid-reflux/#:~:text=Dairy%20products%20can%20cause%20acid,down%20milk%20and%20dairy%20products.

Then I think writing down everything you eat and drink for the next 2 weeks, and include any symptoms you experience (even if "no symptoms").... and show it to your doctor, would be a good idea.

I don't think there is any specific medical test to see if you are lactose intolerant.

I hope for your sake that it is heartburn or some kind of acid reflux, because that is easier to treat than Lactose Intolerance. Also, try out those Lactaid pills. I haven't tried them myself, but I heard they are pretty good. I just stay away from all dairy, and take a calcium supplement, and all is good so far.

Good luck! Let us know how you're doing.

All my symptoms I have mentioned my manager at work has identical and he went for the Lactose intolerance test and he is Lactose Intolerant, hence why I want to get the test.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Gut-and-systemic-symptoms-of-people-with-lactose-intolerance_tbl4_40447860

I am now documenting what I eat... I am trying to not eat or drink dairy to see if that helps, but it is hard. I will go do my doctor's after 1 week.

Back when I first became lactose intolerant, there weren't any tests for it. If you got bloated, had tummy issues after eating dairy, then you probably were lactose intolerant.

It tends to be genetic. Do either of your parents have it?

Well, even if you are intolerant, you will live a happy, fulfilling life without dairy. And you can still eat or drink it... you'll just have some mild symptoms afterward.

In other words, being lactose intolerant isn't the end of the world. I've had it most of my life, so I am just used to it.

Good job on keeping the food diary.

I spoke to my Gym instructor who likes to keep up to date with lots of this medical information, and he said, get the lactose test and that should help a bit. I ate a sausage roll today and I throat acted up. Will book a GP appointment on Monday.

I am using myFitnessPal, for the food log.

Did the sausage roll have lactose in it??

That's good that you're keeping track of your foods/symptoms.