CNN

Barbara Bush recovering after surgery.

(CNN) - Former first lady Barbara Bush started a liquid diet Monday as part of her recovery from laparoscopic surgery to repair a perforated ulcer, according to a statement from The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

Bush, 83, is "in good condition and continues to recover as expected," according to the statement. She may remain in the hospital for "several more days so her physicians can monitor the progression of her diet."

The former first lady showed up at Methodist's emergency room last Tuesday, complaining of severe abdominal pain. Doctors determined she had a perforated ulcer in her duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine after the stomach.

Doctors thoroughly cleaned Bush's abdominal cavity of any contaminants that had leaked through the hole, described by the hospital as being one centimeter in diameter. Then, doctors repaired the ulcer and sewed a piece of the omentum, fat tissue in the abdomen, on top of it to seal it.