reconsideration request stuck?

Intro: The Post-Manual Action Hangover

hey everyone,

so, remember my post about Google's "surprise!" manual action? yeah, that little gem. well, we're deep into the trenches of penalty recovery now. after weeks of auditing, disavowing, and generaly pulling my hair out, i finally submitted our Google reconsideration request. felt like a huge weight lifted, for about five minutes.

The Black Hole Phenomenon

the problem is, the request seems to have just... vanished? or it's stuck in some kind of Google limbo, enjoying a permanent vacation. i'm getting absolutely no clear feedback, just a generic "we're reviewing" message that's now been sitting there for what feels like an eternity. it's been weeks, and the silence is deafening. is this normal for a complex penalty recovery?

My Desperate Attempts

we've tried everything. i did an extensive backlink audit, disavowed tons of spammy links (honestly, some of those were wild), and we've been improving content quality across the board, making sure everything is super relevant and valuable. when i submitted the reconsideration request, i included a detailed explanation of all the changes we made, thinking that would speed things up. guess not, lol.

The "Progress" (or Lack Thereof) – Illustrated

how it feels is like the Search Console status is playing a cruel joke. it's either completely unchanged or gives me this super vague, utterly unhelpful message. it's like google's telling me "we're on it!" while simultaneously doing absolutely nothing visible. check this out, this is what i'm seeing:

--- Google Search Console Status Log ---
Date: 2023-10-26 14:35:12
Request Type: Reconsideration Request
Status: Pending Review
Details: "Your request is currently being processed. We will notify you once a decision has been made."
--- End Log ---

yeah, "pending review" for weeks. it’s like my request went into a black hole with a tiny "processing" sign above it.

Help! What's Next?

so, my specific question is: is this normal for a reconsideration request after a manual action? how long does it typically take for Google to actually respond or update the status? are there any other channels or steps beyond just waiting that i should be taking? i'm starting to think about sending a carrier pigeon, maybe that'll get their attention.

Anyone Faced This Before?