I had to find a reptile vet recently and all the online listings for them only bring up vets 5-6 hours away from me. Calling around to various vets got me several suggestions including the one we ended up using. Or is there a herp society or rescue you could contact and ask who they recommend? Don't know about snakes but I've had tumors pop up pretty suddenly on other animals so seems possible but I understand wanting a second opinion. Hopefully they can get it figured out.