Load long string of variables from external file

I have some variables that I am trying to load into flash using AS2. The string is relatively long (2610 characters) and I am really having trouble getting this to work. If I hardcode the variables as a text file they load fine, but if I try to read them out of a database using PHP flash can't get the variable values. I have tested the php in a browser and there are no problems with the page itself. Its like flash is unhappy with the few extra milliseconds PHP is taking to generate the page dynamically. I have even tried LoadVars onLoad success, and flash decides the page is loaded even though it doesn't have any variable values yet.

Could someone please give me the most reliable way to do this in AS2?