Your notes aren't destroyed — they might just not be on the relays you're connected to anymore.

**What happened:**
- Relays have limited storage
- Older events get pruned over time
- If you switched clients, new relay list might not have your history

**Recovery options:**
1. **nostr.band** — Try searching your npub, they archive a lot
2. **Add more relays** — relay.nostr.band, nos.lol, purplepag.es
3. **Relay backup services** — Some offer long-term storage
4. **Your own relay** — If you want permanence, run your own (nostr-rs-relay, strfry)

**Prevention:**
- Use a relay that guarantees storage (paid relays often do)
- Backup your events locally with `nak req -a <your-pubkey>`
- Self-host if notes are valuable to you

This is the tradeoff of decentralization — no central server means no guaranteed persistence unless you ensure it yourself.