Missing the message status when saving Node
This message comes from node.pages.inc (never edit Drupal core) in a form submit function and I believe messages are stored in the $_SESSION['messages'] variable. I would try to get at these with a hook_form_alter() and custom validation and submit handlers to see where it might be dropping.

If you're running any custom code look specifically for interactions with the $_SESSION variable. Clobbering or unsetting it could prematurely remove these messages.

If you use the devel module you can simply use the following.

dd($_SESSION['messages']); //Logs to drupal logs
dpm($_SESSION['messages']); //Outputs debug information to screen


You can also create your own messages using drupal_set_message() 

For example: 

drupal_set_message(t('It worked!'), 'status');


You may also want to check that you don't have something like the Disable Messages module installed or misconfigured.