Constant Groaning

my dad is 91 and on hospice. he has groaned for about 1.5 years with every exhale. it can be soft or very loud. Sometimes I think he’s trying to clear his throat when it gets extremely loud.It happens even at night. Every once in a while, he will be quiet for some time.

When he could talk, we asked if he was in pain and he said no. But when asking for ideas, the doctors almost constantly say it’s related to pain. When I asked him yesterday if he was in pain, he said no. But he only says a couple words a month or so. So it was lucky there was a response.

It can wake me up at night, and it is very difficult to listen to constantly during the day. And I’m sure that tires him out. I’m also concerned it will prevent him from getting into a room and board assisted living, as i need help caring for him.

Has anyone had experience with almost constant groaning? Any success? The only medication we tried made him so groggy that he couldn’t really eat. So we stopped it. The Hospice nurse has never seen anything like it before. So I don’t know how common it is. He can’t stop. Sometimes if I sing to him, he will slow down. But sometimes not.