Hi Dee,
A lot more information in this situation would be helpful:
What type of insulin is she using and how does she dose? Does she use the novolin combo or does she use NPH...and then cover herself with regular insulin several times daily? Does she take a standard dose/doses daily or does she adjust her insulin based on her accu-check blood sugar?
Is she ONLY using the shakes or is she also eating meals? What is she eating on a daily basis?
The Atkins diet is actually the model that's being used for more progressive medical management of diabetes.....the low carb/low glycemic index model rather than the 1200 cal. ADA diets used in the past. But this would not mean only drinking Atkins shakes for ones daily intake. It would be a healthy, low-carb menu of real food.
And yes, stress, infection, etc...can also raise blood sugar in a diabetic.
The two misconceptions would be that 1) the Atkins diet is based on drinking shakes every day and 2) the Atkins diet is not good for diabetics. Neither is true. Dr. Atkin's meal plan specifically for diabetes often improves the medical management of diabetes.....why many doctors have switched to recommending an Atkin's model rather than the restricted calorie ADA diets used in the past.
deena