Congratulations in a BIG way, Brian!
I was able to renew my Class III S.I. last Friday but because my old AME retired and the new one was not familiar with my records, the whole process took almost 7 weeks. After my first visit in April, he wanted some time to review one item on my cardiology report and then check with Oklahoma City. Needless to say, I fretted.
I must admit I thought of you last Friday after I was walking out of my AME's office with that renewed S.I. in my hand. I'm really glad you persisted and got it worked out.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote above. The only thing I would add is to make copies of everything, EVERYTHING, you send to the FAA. In my case I had over 400 sheets of records from Vanderbilt Hospital after my two heart surgeries in 2009, and yes, I made a copy of EVERYTHING. I didn't want to replace anything that might have gotten lost.
Your single post should prove to be a valuable resource for many pilots who will be going down the same path.
Thanks, and a BIG THANKS for documenting your thoughts for all to see.