Barbara Bush resting after surgery

HOUSTON - Former first lady Barbara Bush was resting and in good spirits in a Houston hospital yesterday following surgery for a perforated ulcer, a family spokesman said.

Bush probably will remain in Methodist Hospital until next week, family spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement.

The laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure involving a small incision in the abdomen, was performed Tuesday night. Surgeons cleansed her abdominal area and closed a one-centimeter hole caused by the ulcer, McGrath said.

Bush, 83, went to the hospital as a precaution Tuesday night after experiencing some abdominal pains. Former President George H.W. Bush was with her.

"She's feeling great, and he is feeling very good," said Jim Appleby, a spokesman for the Office of George Bush. "The surgery went just fine and she is recovering nicely."

Current first lady Laura Bush, Barbara Bush's daughter-in-law, said yesterday. "She's doing great. George and I talked to both President Bush and Barbara Bush last night while they were in the hospital and they were both doing very well then."

ASSOCIATED PRESS