I have been through this a few times. I was told that once you have a surgery of any kind you scar tissue. Scar tissue is like a scab and these scabs then connect to form adhesions. My doctor also told me it all depends on your recovery. If you heal fast that can also be a factor for adhesions because as your body is healing from a surgery the scab can connect with the bowel or some other organ and Wham you have adhesions.
Adhesions can come a few days after a surgery or years.
Since then i have had 1 bowel obstruction a year for the last 4 years. Stress has also been said to cause adhesions-how and why i have now clue, sorry. Hope this helped answer some of your questions. The only thing i would like to add is to tell your husband not to wait if he feels the same pain, if you wait to long he could die. I waited a little to long my last surgery and the dr said 6 more hours you would have been died- your bowels can bust open.