I had an
ileus. apparently, it is not uncommon for the digestive tract (specifically the intestines) to have trouble starting to work again after abdominal surgery. I ate just fine the
the day after surgery, I felt good, and went home. But my appetite vanished thereafter, and my intestines were not passing anything, even gas. Thankfully, it wasn't a mechanical obstruction or anything, which would have likely required more surgery. It did however, require me to be NPO in the hospital for several days and on IV fluids and antibiotics. This was after not eating much of anything and vomiting and diarrhea for a few days. So, I was without adequate nutrition for over a week.
In the end, everything's fine and seemingly back to normal, though it did take a couple of months for my digestion and the lot to return to my norm. I guess the nerves sometime take some damage during surgery, or have a hard time recovering from anesthesia. Gut motility is a very good thing.