Hi Dave welcome! Yes I remember that bloody awful steel gun! My Dad felt it was necessary for all of my family to try it out so Mum, Dad and sister had a go before expecting me to use it! God it was so painful. Do you still have yours? The Science museum had a lot of info on diabetes which I showed my children with glee a few years ago. However, they didn’t have the dreaded gun. In fact that has been why I prefer to lancet myself and have only just after 3 years of having the pump actually started to use a firing device. My fingers tips could be a lot better really if I used cleaner lancets but I don’t like sharp ones they hurt! Counting carbs the old fashioned way @ Alison Lines are no different to exchanges/ portions and whatever the correct terminology is these days. I still use lines (sorry I’m not that old ! My auntie told me that black lines were carbs and red ones were free? ) I remember 10g carb rather than 15g. Daphne or UCair (support at Poole hosp) is a great way to meet other like minded diabetics. It is worth it especially if you’d like a pump.