Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
It is difficult to comment without examination. Lump behind the ear could be an abscess, folliculitis (hair follicle infection), lipoma (localized collection of fat), a cyst, an inflamed lymph node or a neurofibroma (localized harmless swelling in of nerve and connective tissue). Your husband may not have been sick but local infections like dandruff or dermatitis too can cause a lymph node to swell and be tender.
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. A fine needle biopsy or a CT scan can tell for sure what the lump is. Your husband should consult a doctor about this. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
I would go see a dr probably as soon as i could I mean at least for me just to ease my mind cause yes that would worry me as well and i would be begging for a biopsy weather dr wanted to do it or not but that's me i'm paranoid about suspicious lumps to much cancer going around these days and other infections
Could be a stress bump. I do know this type of lump can pop up out of know where and can get kinda big. And then as oddly as they came disappear. This is just one possibility. Could also be a cyst like JM456 suggested.
I could be a cyst that is pressing on a nerve, hence the occassional sharp pain..I have a small one on top of my head