Dr. Keith Monson
General Surgery
Oak Park, IL
25 years experience male
Locations
Rush University Surgeons
Oak Park, IL
About
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
General Surgery
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
61 Answers
44 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 22-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Gallbladder disease is extremely common in the us affecting more than 20 million people.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Larger tumor: A T4 tumor is simply a tumor that has invaded more deeply through the colon wall than other tumors (t1 - t3). T4 tumors invade all the way through th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Gallstones can cause infection of the gallbladder, blockage of the bile ducts with infection or jaundice, and pancreatitis.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Common: I think primarily because it is so common and also because there are effective screening tools to identify it early in its course when it is potential... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Gallbladder removal: Treatment for most gallbladder disease involves removing the gallbladder surgically which is an operation done laparoscopically (small incisions) and ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Probably: If the true source of your symptoms is the gallbladder, surgery is probably inevitable. You could try to avoid fatty and greasy foods to reduce your ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Several: Screening tests for colorectal cancer range from testing the stool for blood, barium enema, or ct colonography. However, the gold standard test is co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Depends: Survival rates vary depending on many different factors. Some of the most important factors are stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis and also... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Possibly: Anything with estrogen in it can increase your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and higher levels can translate to higher rates. The levels ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Small: The odds of that are small but it does happen occasionally. Certain risk factors like family history or genetic disorders, smoking, and exposure to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
DNA: Cancer results from mutations or defects in a cells dna. This in turn can effect multiple parts of the cell but predominately causes problems because... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
No: There is no known link between breast implants and breast cancer.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Frequently: Gallbladder removal is a very common procedure. It is indicated if the patient is having recurrent pain and/or nausea from the gallbladder if there a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Indirectly: While there is no known direct link between vitamin B12 deficiency and cholelithiasis, there is a significantly increased rate of gallstones in patien... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Somewhat: Patients with chronic leukemia are twice as likely as the general population to develop other malignancies, including breast cancer. This likely has ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Not necessarily: We can't tell whether lymph nodes are cancerous or not just by feeling them for movement. The only way to know for sure is to obtain tissue from the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 59-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Probably a lipoma: If the MRI showed a fatty tumor, it is probably a benign lipoma. Since you believe it is causing pain and limits your range of motion, you should see... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Colonoscopy: Colonoscopy is generally considered the gold standard in colorectal cancer screening.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Uncertain: Dense spots on mammogram is a vary vague term. It depends on the particular appearance of these dense spots. Dense spots could range anywhere from c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
10 years earlier: The general recommendation is to get a colonoscopy at an age 10 years younger than the youngest age of your first degree family member when they were ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: While this is rare, it is possible to have more than one type of cancer at once. Various risk factors, especially certain genetic disorders, can make... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old male asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Surgery: The only effective treatment for symptoms or complications of gallbladder stones is surgery to remove the gallbladder. This can be done in a minimall... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Statistics: Cancer survival rates are based on statistics.
We know the data on how long, on average, people with similar cancers have survived in the past. Thes... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Not necessarily: Those tumors may be, and statistically probably are, benign. The only way to know is to see you doctor.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 56-year-old male asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Mesh is better: Most of us surgeons agree and the literature is pretty clear, that hernia recurrence rates without mesh are much higher while the risks of using mesh ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Rectal bleeding: Rectal bleeding may be from hemorrhoids, but it may be from a number of more serious causes. You should see your doctor about this asap.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Urachal cyst: This could be a urachal cyst or sinus, an umbilical infection, or less likely, a form of endometriosis.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Probably not: Physical activity shouldn't cause recurrence of a pilonidal cyst. Sometimes they just recur.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Five: There are five including stage 0 (in situ or pre-malignant) and stages 1-4. Stage 4 is the most advanced and involves metastasis.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
No: The gallbladder is on the right side. Sharp pain in the left chest could be related to your stomach, such as gastritis or ulcer disease, or it could ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Mesh: In this day and age, mesh is considered far superior to non-mesh repairs, and the primary reason is recurrence rates. The recurrence rates with mesh ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Blood in stool: Common symptoms of colorectal cancer include blood in the stool, narrowing of the calibre of stools (pencil-thin stools), abdominal cramping or bloati... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Colon cancer can strike at young ages, especially if there are hereditary colon diseases in the family such as familial adenomatous polyposis or lynch... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Maybe: The benefits of chemotherapy are generally more dependent on the stage of the breast cancer rather than the receptor status. Er, pr, and her2-neu rec... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
No: Breast cancer is not thought to be caused by trauma.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 57-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Need more info: In order to give you any meaningful guidance, i would need more information. Describe the pain. Where is it? When does it occur? How often? How l... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
See a surgeon: You likely have either a urachal cyst or recurrent infections there. In either case, a good general surgeon should be able to help you.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Common: Be reassured that most breast pain is not cancer and most breast cancers are not painful so it is unlikely that your pain is from breast cancer. Howe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Possibly: A swollen lymph node in the armpit could be from breast cancer but in most patients, it is much more likely to be a benign swelling from a number of o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: Hernia surgery alone shouldn't affect your ability to become pregnant and if you do become pregnant, shouldn't interfere with the pregnancy. It does,... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Invasive ductal: Invasive ductal carcinoma (otherwise known as infiltrating ductal carcinoma) is the most common type of actual breast cancer.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 55-year-old female asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Ulcerative colitis: Low abdominal pain could be from many different causes but in a patient with a history of uc i'd certainly be concerned about a flare-up. When's the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Maybe: There may have been some trauma to your vas deferents during surgery. This may be minor and resolve on its own in a few days, or it may be more serio... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Talk to your doctor: It can be difficult to distinguish the two. Gallbladder pain often occurs after meals, in the upper abdomen, radiating to the back or right shoulder ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Probably not: There was one small study out of lancaster university that suggested a link between breast trauma and breast cancer, but the conventional wisdom at pr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
No: Antibiotics do not help with gallbladder disease except in the case of gallbladder infection, in which case they are only useful as an adjunct to surg... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Google images: Go to www.Google.Com, search for hemorrhoids, and click on the images tab at the top of your browser. There are lots of pictures of different types o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Sensory nerve injury: There are small sensory nerves that run in the area of the inguinal hernia repair. These nerves are sometimes cut during surgery or may be irritated ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
It's not dangerous: Everyone has different levels of pain after a breast biopsy. If you aren't taking any pain medication, it is okay to do so in the short run. As long... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Keith Monsonanswered
General Surgery 25 years experience
Diagnosis: A breast biopsy allows the pathologist to examine the tissue under the microscope to determine the exact nature of the tissue. It is most commonly u... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
142
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Monson is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Monson is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2013
Thanks a lot doc for ur valuable info. Regards.Dr.Sunil from Bangalore
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Been suffering with chills, severe nausea & vomiting and intense pain
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Share thanks in your own words...
HealthTap member
Your answer was very helpful! Thanks :) Thank You Very Much.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Rush Medical College, IL
Graduated 1998MD
Residency
MCLAREN FLINT
Awards
Top General Surgeon , First Place, Melrose Park, IL - Winter
2013
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