NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Sen. Ophelia Ford has rejoined her colleagues after being absent because of an illness.

The Memphis Democrat stood on the Senate floor Wednesday and thanked lawmakers for their prayers and said her doctors have given her a "100 percent good bill of health."

Ford, who is 59, missed the Legislature's special session on education reform last month due to flulike symptoms that resulted in her being admitted to a Memphis hospital.

Family members later said she suffered complications from an unspecified surgical procedure and could miss the entire legislative session.

When asked specifics about her illness Wednesday, Ford only said that she had gone into the hospital for something "very minor," and complications developed. However, she said: "I'm back to stay."

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