Just to add a bit more detail: my current setup as of right now is still using the jEditable plugin combined with the prettyPhoto image viewer plugin (which i believe is based on lightbox). exactly what happens with this combination of plugins is:
1. if you enter a caption and save it (jeditable submits the content) and then click on the image you just entered a caption for, it DOES show up fine. however, if you then close it and re open (or if you click next to move to the next image in the gallery and then "back" to go back to the photo you entered a caption for) the image you entered a caption for wont load. until you do a SHIFT refresh (or two refreshes in firefox) the image refuses to load up in prettyPhoto. 2. if you FIRST view the image and then SECOND enter a caption, none of the above occurs. there are no problems from then on in. it seems no matter how many times you submit a caption and then try to view the image, it works fine, AS LONG AS when you first arrived at the page you viewed an image in prettyPhoto before entering any captions. any help greatly appreciated, pulling my hair out on the randomness of this one!!