Alun - full sympathy!!
I too have been through this - and I wasnt even fishing at the time!
In the garage one wet sun morning, tidying up....I used to keep my pike snap tackles (2x trebles on a wire trace) hanging from the wooden shelves (dont any more!!).
Anyway, was re-arranging some tins on the shelf with my hands in between the hanging traces, when someone called my name - turning around and starting to walk away I felt the sharp pain of a 1/0 treble in the side of my middle finger! Christ!...did I shout!!!!
I tried all sorts - the vice, pliers, forceps, gently, hard - you name it, the beast wasnt moving! - then the addrenalin wore off, the pain started and I was off to A&E for 4 hours!!
I think it is just an occupational hazard of fishing - and the law of avrages says that the more you go fishing, or at sometime in your life it is likely to happen to you.
I crush the barbs when tope fishing, but personally I'd rather risk having a hook in my hand and not loosing that double figure bass!!!! - But maybe I'm mad!