Shuga, thanks for your answer. Maybe we will be lucky. Ecas has been saying "medicals received" since June 2012. We did not get a request for a follow up exam. My sense is that we are just caught in the volume of applications. My mom is lucky that she can visit (no visa requirement), but right now of course, we cannot do anything, not knowing when (if) the paperwork will arrive. I don't think it's a good idea for her to be in Canada while all of this is underway. Like all of us, I wish we could help speed this along....
Good luck to you!