Question from Mog, Ohio, USA:

My nine-year-old son has had diabetes for four years. He takes Lantus twice a day, morning and evening because it wasn’t lasting 24 hours, and covers meals with sliding scale of three to five units of NovoLog. Periodically, about once every three months, he will have a few days of uncontrollable lows. He may need 10 to 15 extra 15 gram carbohydrate snacks to stay above 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] and he will need less or even skip one of his meal time injection. He has been tested for celiac and thyroid problems and they are normal. Activity is the same. He has had no significant growth spurts and illness doesn’t coincide. Do you know of any other reasons why this would happen? Is it possible that he might have some beta cells that rejuvenate and secrete a little bit of insulin?