hey there
i had VATS february 2004. i found the healing process frustratingly slow; i think i expected the pain to disappear after a few weeks!! on the booklet i was given it said regular pain can be expected up to 3 months after surgery, and i think i remember getting twinges after that for a while as well. i tried to keep on top of it with regular paracetamol whenever it was flaring up, as it is easier to control it if you jump on it at the first sign of pain as opposed to when its getting really bad.
hope that helps a bit <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">