Yes, but testing "from the outside in" is kind of prone to inaccuracy.
Also, two of my friends have told me they were feeling sick and throwing
up for a week before being diagnosed with appendicitis so that might be
another "marker". I still have my appendix but I'm somewhat paranoid
about appendicitis, so that's why I know those tests *lol*.

Oh, I realise that, I guess it explains why some people end up on the
table, opened up with nothing wrong, because sometimes we get freaky
results for other reasons. I think the sickness is a common but not
guaranteed symptom - I was being sick btw and that was another thing
that was worrying me now, I'm being sick fairly regularly, so there
wouldn't be that warning sign. My mum nearly died from appendicitis in
the mid 60s, she had plenty of symptoms, but nothing showed up on her
blood tests, eventually they decided she was ill enough they had to open
her up and they did a midline incision and found an appendix that was
about to burst, I think it did burst whilst they tried to get it, the
doctors gave her a 10% chance of survival and she was in hospital for
weeks and missed nearly a year of school. Seems access to imaging
techniques in situations like this is a good thing!

Yes. I think that's why most docs do the early ultrasound, not because
it's so useful for diagnosing anything but because it's very reassuring
for the mother.

I know I've seen results that ultrasounds in general don't improve
outcomes and in theory reassurance should show up on that as stress is
known to worsen outcomes and lack of reassurance would probably equal
stress, but then I think they may well have been studies on 2nd
trimester ultrasounds, I don't recall seeing anything separate about 1st
trimester ones.

Cheers
Anne