Yesterday Evening While I Was Eating I Knew It Didn't

Yesterday evening while I was eating I knew it didn't feel right... and I noticed I had a large lump right below my ear following my jaw line. Scared me to death! It didn't hurt at all... it had just suddenly appeared. I went to bed thinking I would call the doctor this morning... but when I woke up it was gone. It did at times send a couple of little sharp pains up through my ear... and I do have a bit of infection in my body... can you tell me what it was?