Diet advice

Have you thought of complan? I know it has carbs in.. But you say she is type 1 a d this is the equivalent of a good meal replacement with all the viramins etc...

Hi David, have you asked the nurses or her consultant as hospitals do have balanced liquid meals available for those patients that cant for what ever reason manage solid food.

And as DD says as a T1 the nutritional info which will tell you the carb count for insulin purposes will be readily available too.

Atkins do a drink that you mix with water, Boots online sell it, or Amazon sometimes has offers, very low in carbs, but vitamins may need supplementing.

What sort of insulin is your mother using ?
If your Mum isn't eating properly then someone has to be adjusting her insulin regime.
If not she could become hypoglycaemic because of lack of carbs (ie too much insulin for what she's eating) though it could be that her blood glucose is higher than normal because of the problem that she's in hospital for.

As Sid says there are properly formulated replacements available for prescription, certainly when my mother was in hospital and not eating much, her weight was monitored daily and she was prescribed supplemental shakes (though she hated them as they were so thick)
Depending on your Mum's individual circumstances she doesn't necessarily need a lower carb supplement, since the insulin can and should be adjusted.
Talk to the staff about it. It might be a good idea for someone (you or them) to contact the hospitals diabetic specialist nurse, dietitian or dept.

I'm curious, what do you mean by "many of the protein drinks aren't really suitable for diabetics"? What I go by (as a type 1 diabetic) is I can essentially eat whatever I like and balance it with an appropriate level of insulin based on its carbohydrate content. Sure, if your mother is on a set regimen of insulin it's more a matter of making sure she consumes the right portion size to match her insulin, but I don't see the problem with a protein drink.