Doctors do use ultrasound (like looking at babies during pregnancy) to do initial testing so yes they can use the ultrasound to detect things in other organs. Ultrasound is inexpensive compared to other testing and shows tissue better than x-rays. Based on findings they can then use this to get approval from insurance for future testing, MRIs or CT scans. To be honest I wouldn't bother spending the $$$ unless your doctor suspects something and then he will order the test and your insurance will pick up most of it. In that sense I think it is a scam preying on some peoples fears.

Came to this website looking for updated info on the latest appliances and thought I'd check in with this thread. I'm glad I did. DISASSEMBLY My sleeper sofa (see posts above) had to be disassembled too. When I first ordered there was plenty of room for delivery, but during remodeling I decided to put in a door that was normal-sized (too narrow for the sofa). It wasn't hard to put the unit back together again on the other side, but it's more complicated than just screwing the legs back on. So I'd suggest you make sure the delivery people (or friends of yours) know what they're doing. Then it would be fine. It's not brain surgery, but it's not like playing with TinkerToys either. You're buying a relatively sophisticated mechanism, as well as something that looks good. So it makes sense to respect what you've paid for. You wouldn't let just anybody install a dishwasher, for example. But thousands of them get installed properly every day. AMERICAN LEATHER CUSTOMER SERVICE I would buy American Leather again, even after my nightmare. I accept that things will go wrong with a percentage of anything that's manufactured or delivered. My problem was with with my retailer, Foremost Furniture. At every step of the way they were careless. As in, they could not have cared less what happened once they had all their money. If you do not live in New York or the tri-state area, you cannot make this mistake. I believe AL pushed Foremost to fulfill their legal obligations in my case, thanks to this site. After I posted here, the situation was addressed. I could not get a refund--Foremost dragged this out for years, so the sofa was now officially "used"--but I got a store credit. That is not, IMHO, AL's fault. Foremost is a nightmare, so I warn anybody about their truly nasty management. But if you have a decent retailer (and do your research into their customer service record), I think AL is a very good value in every way. I love their stuff. I only come to this site when I am remodeling or need advice on purchases, so my purpose in posting is to clarify what I can and to be fair. I'm glad I didn't have to go the time and expense of taking legal action to solve my problem. It took years to address the problem; that's wrong. But once AL got involved, the problem was attended to in a reasonable time frame. And they only got involved because of this site and this thread. FWIW

I suggest speaking to a conservator who specializes in photographs. They may be able to recommend a method or product to fix the slides. If the slides can not be fixed, you can scan them and then fix the scans with photo editing software. I know it will not save the slides, but at least you will have the photos. And whatever you do, get them scanned before you or anyone else starts trying to clean them. Which brings me to the scanning: If you have a lot of photos that need to be scanned, it may be more cost effective for you to buy a scanner and do it yourself. You can get a very good scanner relatively cheaply and they are easy to use. You can get free photo editing software (Gimp) that has all the necessary features you need in order to fix the inevitable colour shifts and scratches in the photos, or if money is not an issue, you can get Photoshop or similar software.

The problem with a LOT of medical tests (even legitimate ones in a hospital setting) are that the results are questionable, and then you have to go for more, and MORE EXPENSIVE tests. Just one example--last summer, I had a kidney stone attack that sent me to the ER in great pain. That situation had to be addressed, and I ended up having a bunch more tests and 2 lithotripsies to blast the stones. BUT in the hospital, I was given a CAT scan. Besides the stones, it showed some questionable areas in my kidneys. Now, kidney cancer is very rare, and I didn't have the risk factors for it, BUT since the question was raised, the drs had to address it and do further tests--so they sent me for X-rays and an ultrasound. Which were inconclusive. There was bloodwork, more X-rays, and eventually, an MRI was ordered. Luckily, after all those tests (and expense) it turned out that I just had some cysts (most people over 50 DO), which were nothing to worry about. Luckily, my insurance covered a fair amount of the expense, but if our deductible was $10,000? We'd have had to spend every penny of it on me last summer. If you're not having symptoms, if you go to your regular dr. for regular check-ups and follow his advice--then I don't see any reason to pad the pockets of the snake oil salesmen who are just trying to make their $$$ quickly now, before we go to national health. One more example of the current 'smash and grab' on the middle class. Everyone's trying to get a bit of the pie, before the middle class disappears completely. Just don't make it easier for them by volunteering to hand them your money.