Katy,
In order to preserve your profile from "vanishing" again, always save it after you update. You can do this in Netscape by going to the File menu, Edit Page, Save As. Microsoft IE also has a similar way of saving web pages.
If it ever vanishes again, at least you have your file as a backup and you can copy and paste everything right back into your profile again.
Best wishes to you in your upcoming surgery.
Brenda