I had to clean my dad's trach tube daily. It wasn't by suction. My dad had one that had an insert which could be removed and cleaned and then put back in. It didn't hurt him to remove it. He would gag a little bit if it touched the sides of his throat, so I would say it was a little annoying for him - but no pain. Then I would clean the insert in the kitchen and reinsert it. It sounds maybe a little different from the kind your dad has. Also, my dad couldn't talk for the first month after surgery, but he talks all the time now! He used a white board to write to us during that time. My dad was definitely on a lot of pain medication though...morphine...strong stuff. In fact, he was on a lot of different meds at the time. One would offset the other. I had to mash it up and give it to him through his feeding tube. Tell your dad that my dad says to hang in there and that it won't always be this bad. He says to take one day at a time...just remember to breathe. There is enough love and support to get him through this. The body is more resilient than I think many people appreciate. The will to live is incredible - no one and nothing can take that from you unless you let it happen. I see that in my dad and in so many of the posters on this site. Incredible people...