A B737-200 FO RPTED THAT; AFTER BEING HANDED OFF FROM 1 CTLR TO THE NEXT THAT C90 SAID THEY HAD BEEN DECLARED 'LOST ON FREQ' BY ZAU.

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ON BVT 2 ARR INTO MDW; ZAU (135.75) GAVE US A XING RESTR TO CROSS 40 MI S OF CGT AT 11000 FT MSL. WE MADE THE RESTR; BUT HEAD NO FURTHER CALLS FOR US FOR QUITE SOMETIME. APCHING CGT; STILL AT 11000 FT MSL; WE REALIZED WE WERE GOING TO BE HIGH; AND DISCUSSED THAT ATC MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT US. WE ASKED IF THEY HAD A HEADING FOR US. THEIR REPLY WAS TO GO TO ANOTHER CTR FREQ; FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY ANOTHER VOICE TELLING US TO GO TO CHICAGO APCH ON 118.4; AND EXPECT AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT. APCH INFORMED US THAT WE HAD GOTTEN INTO ORD ARR AIRSPACE; AND TO DSND TO 2500 FT MSL. HE SAID CTR SAID WE WERE 'LOST ON FREQ.' AFTER VECTORS TO GET US DOWN; THE APCH AND LNDG WERE NORMAL. FROM THEIR COMMENTS; BOTH CTLRS MADE IT SOUND LIKE WE MISSED A FREQ CHANGE; AND THIS WAS OUR FAULT. HOWEVER; ON THE WAY IN WE HAD NO DISTRACTIONS; AND WERE BOTH LISTENING TO THE RADIO THE WHOLE TIME EXCEPT FOR A BRIEF CALL TO OPS TO GET A GATE. NEITHER OF US HEARD A CALL FOR US; AND WE THINK THE CTLRS AT CTR JUST FORGOT ABOUT US. IN RETROSPECT; I WISH I'D ASKED THE CTLRS FOR LOWER A BIT EARLIER. I STARTED TRYING AROUND 10 NM OUT OF CGT; BUT DUE TO CONGESTION ON FREQ; COULDN'T GET THROUGH UNTIL ALMOST OVER CGT; WHICH MADE US VERY HIGH.