51yr male soft lump 4 in. under navel and to right 3 in. can feel when coughing not painful but uncomfortable seems to go away when lying on back?

Sounds like hernia.: Location is not the important tissue here, it's the size that may allow bowel to become trapped, strangulated, and die, causing peritonitis and severe problems. This should be examined to verify if indeed it's a hernia (or perhaps a benign lipoma--fatty growth outside your abdomen). Hernia needs to be repaired; lipoma can be left alone or removed--they don't "go way" and only get bigger over time.