forms data 'resets' when switch tabs

forms data 'resets' when switch tabs

hi guys
i have a tabbed setup - the 0 tab contains text links (userNames) which open further tabs to edit their details.
if i change away from the tab containing the form, then come back to it, all the changes are gone. i have set cache to TRUE, but it's still reloading the tab content from the cached copy in any case, so i still lose my changes even tho it's not reloading from the server. how can i change this behaviour so that my form remains in its partially edited state when i switch away and then come back to it ?
thanks for your wisdom in the matter,
aunty