3 days ago I discovered a lump rather hard near my right ear. Should I see a doctor right away or should I wait a bit? It hurts a little to the touch, slightly irritated and inflamed. I am also hurt the head and ear.

Since your question was almost a week ago, you have probably searched for a solution to your problem. In that case, I hope you feel better . Your symptoms may be due to an infection in your ear canal. This condition, called otitis externa, can occur if your ear canal stays wet for any length of time, or if the delicate lining of the ear canal ( swimmers and people who produce a lot of ear wax often develop external otitis , damaged and using swabs , hairpins, or other foreign objects to clean ears increases the risk of infection). When the ear canal is infected , the lymph nodes around the ear are usually swollen. This is a normal immune response to infection. These nodes remain swollen for several days or even weeks until the infection resolves. If you have not already done so - and if your symptoms persist - go to your doctor for an evaluation. Many cases of otitis externa can be treated with hearing antibiotic drops , but oral antibiotics may be required in cases which have swollen lymph nodes , which develops fever or you have other more serious symptoms of infection . Good Luck!